Pearl Jam to Reveal New Drummer at Ohana Festival

When Pearl Jam announced their plans to headline the 10th annual Ohana Festival earlier this month, the immediate question on every fan’s mind was: Who will be behind the drum kit? The band has remained silent regarding a permanent replacement following the departure of longtime drummer Matt Cameron last year.

However, in a recent interview on SiriusXM’s Pearl Jam Radio, guitarist Stone Gossard offered a strong hint that the search is over. While he stopped short of naming the new member, he confirmed that the band is ready to make it official when they take the stage at Ohana on September 27.

“There’s not enough mystery in the world,” Gossard remarked. “I think the band is very excited that we’re actually getting to play. It’s been a while, and the fact that we get to do it at Ohana makes it even doubly exciting. And the fact that nobody knows who’s going to play drums with us even makes it triply exciting. So, it’s our mystery wrapped in an enigma and we’re relishing in it right now.”

Earlier this year, frontman Eddie Vedder remained coy about the band’s lineup changes. During a February interview with Rolling Stone, he emphasized that the band was focused on the future. “We’re in the lab, we’re woodshedding, excited. It’s cool to think of change. As much as we’d like to have done it the way we did it forever — and we’ll still be able to do that thing — I think we’re all just excited for the future.”

Despite the band’s unified front, speculation has been rampant. In April, guitarist Mike McCready provided a conflicting update, telling American Songwriter that the band was still in the process of searching for a drummer. “We’ve just got to find a new drummer, you know? We don’t have one,” he stated at the time.

Nostalgic fans had hoped for a return of original drummer Dave Krusen, who famously filled in for a show in 2022. However, Krusen quickly quelled those rumors via a social media comment, noting that the band had already secured a new drummer. For now, the identity of the mystery musician remains under wraps, leaving fans to wait until the Ohana Festival to see who will join Pearl Jam for their next chapter.