Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Pearl Jam Drummer Matt Cameron Departs After 27-Year Tenure

Pearl Jam praised Cameron’s impact without revealing a cause for his departure or naming a successor.

Image
FILE - Pearl Jam members, from left, Mike McCready, Matt Cameron, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard appear at a news conference in Mexico City, on July 17, 2003. (AP Photo/Jaime Puebla, File)
Image
Image

Overview

  • Cameron announced on July 7 via Pearl Jam’s official Instagram that he has stepped down after drumming with the band since 1998.
  • He performed on every Pearl Jam studio album from 2000’s Binaural through 2024’s Dark Matter and anchored live performances including the recent Dark Matter world tour.
  • The band hailed him as a “singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer”, declining to explain his exit or identify a replacement.
  • Cameron’s wider grunge legacy includes two stints with Soundgarden (1986–1997, 2010–2017) and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with both groups.
  • His departure closes Pearl Jam’s longest-running lineup and leaves questions about who will fill the band’s drum kit going forward.