Pearl Jam close Ohana with Abe Laboriel Jr on drums — and a question mark
Pearl Jam closed the Ohana Festival with Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums and a giant question mark on his bass drum.
The closing-night set on 27 September in Dana Point, California, was the band's first proper billed concert since the departure of longtime drummer Matt Cameron, according to Rolling Stone. Laboriel Jr. is best known as a longtime drummer and collaborator for Paul McCartney, as noted by People.
Cameron left Pearl Jam after nearly 30 years behind the kit. Ahead of the festival, the 27 September appearance on the third night of the three-day Ohana Festival was widely expected to bring a new-drummer reveal.
That reveal did not quite arrive. Laboriel Jr.'s bass drum carried a question mark. No permanent appointment was announced.
Fans actually got two looks at the new line-up. The first came on 25 September, during a billed set from Eddie Vedder & Friends that headlined the opening night of the festival.
Vedder opened that night with five acoustic songs before bringing out the full band for a surprise appearance, according to Spin. He introduced Laboriel Jr. simply as helping the group out on drums for the night.
Guitarist Stone Gossard had previewed the festival run back on 21 May, telling SiriusXM host Jonathan Cohen the band was excited to play Ohana.
The closing set brought a fuller statement. Laboriel Jr. powered through the headlining performance on 27 September, with guitarist Billy Strings joining Pearl Jam on stage during the set, Rolling Stone reported in its live review.
For fans watching closely, this means the drum seat is filled for now but not finalised. Laboriel Jr. handled both the surprise outing and the billed headlining slot. The question mark did the rest of the talking.
Ohana Festival, organised over three days on the coast at Dana Point, gave Pearl Jam two very different stages. One was a solo bill that turned into a band show. The other was the advertised headlining set, with favourites, a guest guitarist and a stand-in drummer who left the future open.
