{"id":50300,"date":"2025-07-09T02:47:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T02:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/50300\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T02:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T02:47:09","slug":"ex-pearl-jam-drummer-dave-abbruzzese-says-reunion-is-very-unlikely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/50300\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Pearl Jam Drummer Dave Abbruzzese Says Reunion Is Very Unlikely"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEarlier this week, Pearl Jam<\/a> drummer Matt Cameron shocked fans by announcing his departure from the band<\/a> following 27 years of dedicated service. \u201cI am forever grateful to the crew, staff and fans the world over,\u201d he wrote in a public statement. \u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible journey. More to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt didn\u2019t take long for Pearl Jam fans to start speculating about how the band will fill his seat. (This is hardly a new position for them considering that Cameron is their fifth drummer.<\/a>) When Cameron came down with Covid in 2022 and had to miss a couple of shows, Pearl Jam turned to original drummer Dave Krusen<\/a>, multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer, and longtime band buddy Richard Stuverud to play in his absence.<\/p>\n

\n\tAll three names have been thrown about by fans speculating wildly about who the band might select. Fans have also contemplated the possibility that former Pearl Jam drummers Jack Irons<\/a> or Matt Chamberlain might return to the fold. Josh Freese<\/a> and Zak Starkey<\/a>, who recently lost some very big jobs, have also entered the conversation. (For what it\u2019s worth, Jay Weinberg<\/a> and Nic Collins<\/a> would also be excellent picks.)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd then there\u2019s Dave Abbruzzese. He played with Pearl Jam at the absolute height of their fame between 1991 and 1994, and can be heard on Vs. and Vitalogy. For an outspoken segment of Pearl Jam fans who came of age during this time and cling to it tightly, he\u2019s the band\u2019s definitive drummer.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Abbruzzese didn\u2019t leave the group in a very amicable fashion (\u201cthe other members decided to fire me in order to pursue a philosophy which they perceive as incompatible with mine,\u201d he said<\/a> in 1994), and he voiced his extreme displeasure when he wasn\u2019t inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2017 (\u201cI am personally at a loss for words for how Stone, Mike, Jeff, Matt, Edward and [manager] Kelly Curtis are accepting of such an injustice\u201d). He\u2019s had no real contact with the group in 30 years.<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the aftermath of Cameron\u2019s defection, countless fans have reached out to Abbruzzese on social media to see if there was any chance he might return. In a long and heartfelt post on Facebook,<\/a> Abbruzzese told fans that he\u2019s given the situation some thought, but presumes it\u2019s basically a non-starter.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe fact that I haven\u2019t had any personal contact with any of them leads me to believe the water under the bridge runs too deep and too icy for there to be any reconnection or reconciliation,\u201d he writes. \u201cThis is a shame and saddens me, greatly. I know I could and would have much to contribute if indeed the call came, but sadly, I don\u2019t see that happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat said, he continues to wish for some sort of reconciliation with his former bandmates. \u201cMy drumming and passion for giving it my all is still as powerful as ever,\u201d he writes. \u201cI wish Pearl Jam and its organization continued success and I do hope that there will come a day that we can again connect on some level. All that being said, I do ask that you please stop sending me messages asking & telling me to contact their management. I appreciate and understand your desire to see what could come out of that reunion musically. I would be lying if I said I wasn\u2019t curious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tHe ends the message by asking news outlets to run his note in full, so we\u2019ll do just that below:<\/p>\n

\n\tDue to the announcement of the mighty Matt Cameron choosing to step down from the throne he has had for the past 27 years, there has been much talk of my drumming, and the what if and would may never be, of late\u2026
I thought I would take the opportunity to share some recent and past works with all of you that have bombarded my Facebook & Instagram pages with literally 1000\u2019s of posts, messages and emails, hoping I would call Pearl Jam and attempt to reconcile with them. To be clear, I have nothing to reconcile with them about.
My firing from the band and the subsequent trials and tribulations caused by the actions of the band\u2019s management and the band\u2019s old label that made things challenging for me weren\u2019t completely my doing. With the exceptions of some petty comments and actions that I never quite understood or expected, I have never placed blame and harbored resentments towards the members of the band.
I have been blessed to have participated in some remarkable musical projects with remarkable people over the last 30 post Pearl Jam years. Although I never truly understood what was so important to destroy the musical chemistry we had back then, it is what it is, and I can\u2019t do anything about it. At least nothing that I can figure out. The years since 1995 have served me well towards growing as a person and a player.
It seems the guys in the band matured and grew up as much as I did, but the fact that I haven\u2019t had any personal contact with any of them leads me to believe the water under the bridge runs too deep and too icy for there to be any reconnection or reconciliation.
This is a shame and saddens me, greatly.
I know I could and would have much to contribute if indeed the call came, but sadly, I don\u2019t see that happening.
I have been involved in so many wonder-filled projects. The production of The Green Romance Orchestra albums with my dear family of Gary J. Muller , Paul Slavens , Doug Neil , Darrell Phillips, Jimmy Shoaf and the extraordinary mastering engineer and one of my best friends Joe Gastwirt , all near and dear to my heart. Working with Roger Hodgson of Supertramp fame, and getting to form and maintain loving relationships with Rogers lovely family, Heidi Hodgson and Andrew Hodgson. G & R. Working with Eddie Kramer , Noel Redding, William Cox, Doug Pinnick , Corey Cornell James Glover and Eric Schenkman \u2026 Some co-production, drumming and mixing for albums by Stevie Salas that introduced me to my brothers Bernard Fowler , Tm Stevens, Jara Harris Melvin Jr. Brannon, Kevin W Smith, Vincent Ruby p. Huxley Jamie Seyberth, Matt Sorum .. and the joys of touring performing live music with the IMFs. Working with the incomparable Waddy Wachtel Carmine Rojas , Reeves Gabriel, Rick The Bass Player, & Robi Banerji . Mr. Peter Cornell , who I had the fortune of working on some touch up mixes for Peter, Joseph Shaughnessy and Will Evankovich when they were a band named Grace. My heroes, Mike Dillon , JJ Jungle , Zac Baird, John IV Speice gathering at my studio in Seattle\u2019s Magnolia district for the HABMX \u201cOut Demons\u201d album. Jeff Fielder, Zach Harjo Perry Morgan , John Bush and the Speakeasy Junction jams. Peter Cornell\u2019s \u201cChampion\u201d album. Pseutopia music with Shyam Narayan , Laji George & Mithun Raju . The Shy Blossom album. Countless one off tracks. Carlos Garcia-Menocal. The works with John X Volaitis , Scott Reeder and Royston Langdon. Not to mention the great times shared with working on quarantine jams with an incredibly talented line up of Marcus Nand , Carmine Rojas, Bernard Fowler, Cici Von Strangelove , Eric Schenkman , Benny Goodman, Jeff Fielder, James Mauri, Shani Kimelman , Aubrey Seaton , Lynn Seaton , Rob van den Biggelaar Taryn Taryn , Joanna Connor , Jeff Nolan , Jeff Weiss, Charlie Berezansky , Daniel James, Jim Regan , Brian Dahlen \u2026 Stacy Hogan & Sin SHAKE Sin.
Contributing drum tracks for the album by the exceptional Joanna Connor.
The Lost Symphony with Jimi Bell , Brian Goodman , Benny Goodman , Siobha\u0301n Cronin | Violinist Joey Concepcion, and a cast of exceptionally talented players. The time shared writing and planning with my friend Shawn Smith before his untimely passing.
And so many more\u2026
Plus add to that the personal aspects of my life, blessed with a beautiful and talented daughter\u2026 overcoming substance abuse, embracing insanity and coming out on the other side, working in the field of recovery, legal issues, a failed marriage\u2026
Needless to say, music is still very important and a continued passion without any doubt.
My drumming and passion for giving it my all is still as powerful as ever.
I wish Pearl Jam and its organization continued success and I do hope that there will come a day that we can again connect on some level. All that being said, I do ask that you please stop sending me messages asking & telling me to contact their management.
I appreciate and understand your desire to see what could come out of that reunion musically. I would be lying if I said I wasn\u2019t curious, also.
With much love and appreciation,
Dave<\/p>\n

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