Pearl Jam Ohana New Drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. Steps Into the Kit

The first hint came when Eddie Vedder strapped on an electric guitar and began the opening chords of ‘Corduroy.’ Pearl Jam’s Ohana new drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr., was then revealed as the rest of the band emerged onstage at Vedder’s own Ohana festival in Dana Point on 25 September, filling the drum seat vacated in July 2025 by Matt Cameron after a 27-year run.

It was a reveal carefully preserved in advance. In a May interview with SiriusXM’s Pearl Jam Radio, guitarist Stone Gossard had declined to name who would be behind the kit. ‘There’s not enough mystery in the world,’ he said. ‘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.’

The Set and What It Means for Pearl Jam’s Ohana New Drummer

The evening began as Vedder’s solo show, with five acoustic songs including a tribute to the late Glen Hansard and a cover of The Who’s ‘I’m One’ alongside Billy Idol. Then ‘Corduroy’ changed the temperature of the room entirely. According to Consequence, the band followed ‘Corduroy’ with ‘Hail Hail,’ ‘Scared of Fear,’ ‘Wishlist,’ and ‘Dark Matter,’ a set that drew directly from the deep catalogue and their most recent album cycle.

One caveat hangs over the moment: as yet, Laboriel Jr. has not been named as Cameron’s permanent replacement, and it remains unknown whether he will return when Pearl Jam plays Ohana again on Sunday. His appearance is confirmation of chemistry, not yet a formal appointment.

A Lengthy Legacy to Fill

Cameron’s tenure stretched across 27 years and left a considerable imprint on the band’s recorded output. Ultimate Classic Rock notes that Cameron performed on every Pearl Jam studio album from 2000’s Binaural onward, a run of consistent presence that makes his departure, announced as an amicable step away to pursue other projects, all the more significant. When Pearl Jam played the final dates of its Dark Matter tour in Pittsburgh on 16 and 18 May 2025, neither audience members nor many crew knew those shows would constitute Cameron’s last with the band.

The Ohana performance also marks Pearl Jam’s first show without Cameron since Jack Irons’ final night with the band on 20 March 1998 in Perth, Australia. Cameron stepped in two months later, just before a summer North American tour, and remained a constant presence through seven studio albums until his own departure.

Laboriel Jr.: A Long Path Into the Pearl Jam Orbit

According to Rolling Stone, Laboriel Jr. is now the sixth drummer in Pearl Jam’s history, a lineage that underlines how rare and consequential the role has been. Boston native Laboriel Jr., 55, has anchored the kit behind Paul McCartney consistently since 2001, with occasional work alongside other artists during downtime, including Sting and, as part of a joint 2009 tour, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood.

His connection to Vedder’s world predates this Ohana appearance. In 2022 he played on ‘Picture,’ the Elton John-featuring track from Vedder’s solo album Earthling, a collaboration that quietly positioned him within the Pearl Jam extended family well before any drum-seat speculation began. The son of session bassist Abe Laboriel, he brings a background shaped by decades of high-profile live work.

As for what his Pearl Jam involvement might suggest about McCartney’s own schedule: sources say McCartney, 84, is not winding down and is in fact sketching out his concert plans for 2027. The two careers, for now, appear to run in parallel rather than in succession. Sunday’s second Ohana show will be the next test of whether Laboriel Jr.’s debut was a one-night arrangement or the beginning of something more durable.