Pearl Jam Debuts Paul McCartney Drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. At Surprise Ohana Set

Pearl Jam made a surprise appearance during frontman Eddie Vedder’s billed solo set last night (Sept. 25) at his Ohana festival in Dana Point, Ca., during which the band introduced longtime Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. behind the kit.

Vedder played five songs acoustic to begin the proceedings, including a tearful tribute to his dear friend, the late Glen Hansard, plus a cover of the Who’s “I’m One” with Billy Idol. But after he strapped on an electric guitar and began strumming “Corduroy,” the entirety of Pearl Jam then emerged onstage, including Laboriel, whose kick drum head was cleverly adorned with a large question mark.

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Pearl Jam’s drum seat was vacated in July 2025 by Matt Cameron after a 27-year run. Laboriel’s appearance tonight came with a catch: as yet, he hasn’t been publicly named as Cameron’s permanent replacement, but it’s expected he will be back on drums when Pearl Jam plays Ohana again on Sunday.

The 16-song set was not only a delightful bait and switch but a crowd-pleasing blend of old favorites such as “Even Flow.” “Hail Hail,” “Better Man” and “Porch,” several songs from the 2024 album Dark Matter, a cover of Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer” in honor of their recently deceased guitarist Cheetah Chrome and a show-closing spin through the Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”

The deepest cut was “Green Disease,” a song from 2002’s Riot Act that was played for just the seventh time in the past 15 years. It was preceded by a speech from Vedder about the imprisonment and eventual release of environmentalist Capt. Paul Watson, who was in attendance at the festival.

“I’m feeling pretty damned good myself,” Vedder told the crowd at one point. “And I do believe I’m speaking on behalf of the band and the crew, and we’re excited to be on the stage together once again. Thank you for giving us such a perfect wave to surf. We’ve still got time to get barreled.”

When Pearl Jam played the final shows of its tour in support of the album Dark Matter in Pittsburgh on May 16 and 18, 2025, nobody in the arena (and even many crew members) knew that they’d constitute Cameron’s last shows with the band. Since his announcement two months later that he was amicably stepping away to work on other projects, speculation has been rampant about Pearl Jam’s next move behind the drums. In a May interview with SiriusXM’s Pearl Jam Radio, guitarist Stone Gossard said the band wouldn’t be revealing the Ohana drummer in advance, in the interest of preserving some element of surprise.

“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.”

Boston native Laboriel Jr., 55, has anchored the drum kit behind McCartney consistently since 2001 but has also occasionally toured or performed with other artists during downtime with the Beatles great, including Sting and, as part of a joint 2009 tour, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. The son of legendary session bassist Abe Laboriel, he first entered the wider Pearl Jam orbit in 2022 when he played on the Elton John-featuring track “Picture” from Vedder’s solo album Earthling.

As for speculation that his intersection with Pearl Jam may mean McCartney, 84, is winding down his own touring career, sources say he isn’t going anywhere and is in fact sketching out his concert schedule for 2027.

The Ohana set also constitutes Pearl Jam’s first show without Cameron since Jack Irons’ final performance with the band on March 20, 1998, in Perth, Australia. Cameron replaced him two months later just before the start of a summer North American tour and was a key contributor on stage and on seven studio albums until his own departure.

The opening day of the 10th anniversary edition of the festival also featured performances from Bob Mould and the reunited Sugar, Courtney Barnett, Japanese rock band Otoboke Beaver, Mexican rock royalty Mana, Southern California punk lifers Bad Religion and the 70-year-old Idol, who was in fine voice on ’80s throwbacks “Rebel Yell” and “White Wedding” that also showcased longtime guitarist Steve Stevens.

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