For the Pearl Jam faithful breathlessly waiting to learn what life after Matt Cameron will look like for the Seattle rock kings, we might be getting closer to the answer.
Eddie and the boys have announced their first show since their longest tenured drummer left the band last year, ending a 27-year run. And no, it’s not in Seattle.
Pearl Jam is set to get back in the saddle this fall, headlining the last night of Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Fest in Dana Point, California. The PJ frontman’s beachy boutique festival in Southern California is celebrating its 10th edition Sept. 25-27 and swinging big with the lineup, announced on Tuesday.
A solo Vedder “and friends” are joined that Friday by Mexican pop-rock pillars Maná and recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Billy Idol. Night 2 skews rootsy with alt-country heavyweight Tyler Childers, bluesy soul rockers Alabama Shakes, Jon Batiste, Men I Trust and country breakout Stephen Wilson Jr. And before Pearl Jam punctuates the weekend with their Ohana return, Irish post-punks Fontaines D.C. and alt rock royalty Pixies will take the stage. Check out the full lineup at OhanaFest.com.
Since Cameron announced his decision to vacate Pearl Jam’s drum throne, there’s been much speculation about who might fill the Seattle rock great’s sizable shoes. With Tuesday’s announcement, Ohana could offer the first glimpse into the band’s next chapter, whether it’s with a full-time replacement or a temporary fill-in.
“I was at a stage in my life and career where I just wanted to make some changes and redirect my energy and focus elsewhere,” Cameron told The Seattle Times last year ahead of Soundgarden’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. “I figured this was a good time to do it. I’m going to definitely refocus back in on the Soundgarden family. I’ve got a bunch of really fun projects I’m working on and I just want to pursue some other things at this stage of the game.”
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who joined Pearl Jam in 1998 after Soundgarden split up, has been busy gigging around Washington with his Wipers cover band Is This Real? Shortly after Soundgarden’s Rock Hall induction last October, Is This Real? — which features Cameron up front singing and playing guitar alongside blazing young guitarist Caspian Coberly — released its debut EP “Let You In.” In January, Cameron and Coberly dropped a pair of covers (“Shock Me” and “Snow Blind”) saluting late Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, who died last fall.
“It’s a blast,” Cameron said of stepping out from behind the kit. “It’s a completely different mindset. It takes a lot more practice. Drums come second nature to me — and I still have to practice to work on it and everything. But playing guitar and singing is a whole different set of challenges. … I’m really enjoying it.”
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