The band made a surprise appearance during singer Eddie Vedder’s solo set on Friday
Pearl Jam returned to the stage with a major surprise at the Ohana Festival on Friday (September 25) when longtime Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. sat behind the kit for his first-ever performance with the band. The unexpected appearance happened during Eddie Vedder’s headlining “Eddie Vedder and Friends” set at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California. After beginning the evening with several acoustic performances, Vedder started playing “Corduroy” before the curtain behind him dropped to reveal Mike McCready, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament — along with Laboriel at the drums, where his bass drum fittingly displayed a large question mark. The moment marked Pearl Jam’s first concert since the departure of longtime drummer Matt Cameron and immediately fueled speculation that Laboriel could be the next musician to permanently occupy one of rock’s most closely watched drum thrones.
Watch the fan-filmed footage below.
Laboriel and Pearl Jam proceeded to tear through a 15-song set that mixed classics, deep cuts and material from the band’s 2024 album Dark Matter. After opening with “Corduroy,” they moved through “Hail, Hail,” “Scared of Fear,” “Wishlist” and “Dark Matter,” followed by “I Got Id,” “Do the Evolution,” “Won’t Tell,” “Green Disease,” “Lukin” and an extended “Porch.” The encore featured “Better Man,” “Even Flow,” the Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer” and The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.” Laboriel was even given a prominent drum feature during the instrumental portion of “Even Flow,” offering the audience a chance to hear how his powerful style fit into one of Pearl Jam’s most recognizable songs. The performance represented not only Laboriel’s debut with Pearl Jam, but the band’s first concert since May 18, 2025, when Cameron played what proved to be his final show with the group in Pittsburgh.
Laboriel was hardly a stranger to Vedder before stepping behind Pearl Jam’s drum kit. Best known as the drummer and backing vocalist in Paul McCartney’s band, Laboriel has worked with the former Beatle since 2001, beginning with the Driving Rain era and making his live debut with McCartney at the Concert for New York City. His lengthy résumé has also included work with artists such as Sting, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. More importantly in terms of his connection to Pearl Jam, Laboriel previously worked with Vedder on the singer’s 2022 solo album Earthling and joined Vedder’s Earthlings at Ohana in 2023 when he filled in for Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. That existing relationship made Laboriel a natural fit when Pearl Jam needed someone capable of stepping into a demanding role with relatively little room for error.
The question of who would follow Cameron has hung over Pearl Jam since July 2025, when he announced that he was leaving after 27 years. Cameron had originally joined Pearl Jam in 1998 following Jack Irons’ departure and ultimately became the longest-serving drummer in the group’s history, appearing on every Pearl Jam studio album from 2000’s Binaural through 2024’s Dark Matter. When his departure was announced, Pearl Jam called Cameron a “singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer” and said that he had propelled nearly three decades of the group’s live performances and recordings. His exit created a particularly difficult vacancy because Cameron had provided a level of stability behind the kit that Pearl Jam had lacked during its early years, when Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese and Irons all occupied the position at various points.
Despite the excitement surrounding Laboriel’s appearance, however, Pearl Jam has not officially announced Abe Laboriel Jr. as its new full-time drummer. That distinction is important. During the Ohana performance, Vedder reportedly described Laboriel as “filling in tonight,” rather than formally welcoming him as a permanent member of the band. Neither Pearl Jam nor Laboriel had issued an announcement confirming a permanent arrangement as of September 27. While his high-profile debut naturally suggests that he could play an important role in Pearl Jam’s immediate future, any declaration that he has officially replaced Cameron would be premature until the band says so itself.
The mystery is particularly interesting because Pearl Jam had deliberately kept its plans behind the drum kit quiet leading into Ohana. Guitarist Stone Gossard said earlier in 2026 that the group was enjoying the secrecy surrounding who would play drums with them when they returned to the stage. Laboriel’s appearance provided at least a partial answer, while his question-mark bass drum head seemed to acknowledge the speculation surrounding the position. Pearl Jam was already scheduled to headline Ohana Festival on Sunday, September 27, making Friday’s surprise performance an unexpected preview of the band’s post-Cameron era.
Whatever Laboriel’s long-term status ultimately proves to be, the September 25 performance was a significant moment in Pearl Jam history. For the first time, the veteran drummer who has spent more than two decades powering Paul McCartney’s concerts was sitting behind Pearl Jam, taking on songs shaped by several distinctive drummers across the band’s 35-year career. Laboriel’s combination of power, versatility, vocal ability and decades of experience performing at the highest level makes the pairing intriguing, and his established relationship with Vedder means he entered the situation with considerably more familiarity than a typical substitute drummer. For now, though, his status remains exactly what Pearl Jam presented onstage at Ohana: Abe Laboriel Jr. was the drummer performing with the band that night. Whether that historic first appearance becomes the beginning of a permanent new chapter for Pearl Jam remains to be officially confirmed.