Pearl Jam Still Auditioning Drummers: “We Want to Play Some Shows Next Year”

Pearl Jam returned to the stage in September for the first time following longtime drummer Matt Cameron’s departure in Summer 2025, and while they played with Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. at Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Fest, the band is still in search of a permanent replacement. Under the Radar caught up with Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament to discuss his new photo book, Since Forever, and he mentioned that the band is still in the process of auditioning drummers. After calling Laboriel Jr. “such an incredible drummer,” Ament added, “We’re not in any massive rush but we want to play some shows next year. I’m 63, but I’m pretty fit. I think I can act like a young foolish guy up there for a few more years but I feel a little bit more urgency in terms of getting out there to play shows when we are physically young-ish.” Ament also addressed the departure of Cameron, who is also a member of Soundgarden. “I think when Chris [Cornell] passed that was a massive hit for all of us, but in particular for Matt. I know there was a period of time where he wasn’t sure he wanted to even play anymore, and pretty much since then he’s been talking about winding it down and wanting to do some other...