The poster read "Eddie Vedder and Friends," but what took the stage was the full Pearl Jam lineup. On the night of September 25, at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California, during Ohana Festival's headline slot, fans weren't greeted with a Vedder solo project—they got the band's return after more than a year away. But the person sitting behind the drum kit wasn't the original drummer.
The one who kicked off the first beat was Abe Laboriel Jr., Paul McCartney's longtime drummer who's been playing with him since 2001. This marked his first time on stage as Pearl Jam's drummer. The band opened with "Corduroy," followed by "Hail, Hail," "Scared Of Fear," "Wishlist," and "Dark Matter," running all the way through the encore with "Even Flow," a Dead Boys cover of "Sonic Reducer," and The Who's "Baba O'Riley."
This performance marked Pearl Jam's first live show since Matt Cameron announced his departure from the band this past July. Cameron, who joined in 1998, was the longest-serving drummer in the band's history, and described his time with the group as "an incredible journey" upon leaving. He later explained his reason for stepping away: the grueling pace of three-hour concerts and nonstop touring had worn him down. "What I want to do now is a seventy-minute, jaw-dropping show," he said. He noted the split was amicable, and he's continuing to create music—currently working on completing Soundgarden's final album, which will feature previously unreleased vocals from the late frontman Chris Cornell.
