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Ever since longtime Pearl Jam<\/a> drummer Matt Cameron<\/a> amicably split with the band last year<\/a>, fans have been speculating about who might take his place<\/a>. Well, it looks like Pearl Jam may\u2019ve finally given us the answer, as they were joined by Abe Laboriel Jr.<\/a> during their surprise set with frontman Eddie Vedder<\/a> at Ohana Fest<\/a> this past Friday (Sept. 25).<\/p>\n Friday’s\u00a0Ohana Festival kickoff (held at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, Calif.) was billed<\/a> as having Eddie Vedder & Friends headline, with Pearl Jam headlining tonight (Sept. 27). However, and according to SPIN<\/a>, concertgoers got quite the surprise after Vedder went through a few acoustic tunes:<\/p>\n 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\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m One\u201d with Billy Idol. But after he strapped on an electric guitar and began strumming \u201cCorduroy,\u201d the entirety of Pearl Jam then emerged onstage [from behind a curtain], including Laboriel, whose kick drum head was cleverly adorned with a large question mark.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Prior to unveiling his Pearl Jam bandmates, Vedder stated: \u201cYou know, I feel like I would need some friends to join me on that. Like, I would need, like, a whole \u2013 like, some really<\/em> good friends. Do I got any extra friends back there? Are there more friends back there?\u201d<\/p>\n This was Pearl Jam\u2019s first show since Cameron left, and per Setlist.fm<\/a>, their\u00a015-song set included signature tunes such as \u201cEven Flow,\u201d \u201cBetter Man\u201d and \u201cPorch\u201d alongside deeper cuts (\u201cDo the Evolution,\u201d \u201cHail, Hail\u201d) and covers of the Who<\/a>\u2019s \u201cBaba O\u2019Riley\u201d and the Dead Boys<\/a>\u2019 \u201cSonic Reducer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m feeling pretty damned good myself,\u201d Vedder announced at one point (via SPIN). \u201cAnd I do believe I\u2019m speaking on behalf of the band and the crew, and we\u2019re excited to be on the stage together once again. Thank you for giving us such a perfect wave to surf. We\u2019ve still got time to get barreled.\u201d<\/p>\n READ\u00a0 MORE: The 5 Best Closing Songs on Grunge Albums<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Back in May, guitarist Stone Gossard<\/a> appeared on SiriusXM\u2019s Pearl Jam Radio <\/a>and alluded to revealing their new drummer at this years\u2019 Ohana Festival:<\/p>\n \u201cI love the mystery of it all. It\u2019s so exciting,\u201d he said [per Blunt Magazine<\/a>]. \u201cThere\u2019s not enough mystery in the world. . . . The fact that nobody knows who\u2019s going to play drums with us even makes it triply exciting. So, it\u2019s our mystery wrapped in an enigma and we\u2019re relishing in it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n This certainly wasn\u2019t the first time Laboriel Jr. played with Vedder, either. In fact, he played on Vedder\u2019s 2022 album, Earthling<\/a><\/em>, and joined Vedder on stage during his 2023 Ohana Festival show<\/a>. (He\u2019s also been Paul McCartney<\/a>\u2019s drummer since around 2002, and he\u2019s worked with Eric Clapton<\/a>, Fiona Apple<\/a>, B.B. King<\/a>, Jerry Cantrell<\/a>, Steve Winwood<\/a> and Lady Gaga<\/a>\u00a0as well.)<\/p>\n Of course, Laboriel Jr. is expected to join Pearl Jam on stage tonight, too. However, as of this writing, neither the band nor Laboriel Jr. has officially confirmed that Laboriel Jr. is their permanent new drummer. In fact, Heavy Consequence<\/a> noted that Vedder \u201ctold the crowd that [Laboriel Jr.] was \u2018filling in tonight,\u2019\u201d whereas Stereogum<\/a> reported that Vedder \u201cintroduced Laboriel as \u2018helping us out on drums tonight.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n You can see Pearl Jam\u2019s entire Sept. 25 setlist from Ohana Festival \u2013 as well as fan-shot videos \u2013 below:<\/p>\n 1. “Corduroy\u201d (initially presented as Eddie solo; curtain drop revealed surprise appearance of entire band) per Setlist.fm<\/a><\/p>\n How do you feel about Abe Laboriel Jr. possibly joining Pearl Jam for good? What\u2019d you think of their surprise Sept. 25 set at Ohana Festival? Let us know!<\/p>\n Also, be sure to check out our list of the best \u2018sophomore slump\u2019 busters of each year of the 1990s<\/a> below!<\/p>\n The pressure may be on after your debut album, but some bands just continued along with seeming ease on their second records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Did Pearl Jam Play With Abe Laboriel Jr.?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Pearl Jam Setlist (Sept. 25, 2026 \u2013 Ohana Festival)
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2. “Hail, Hail\u201d
3. “Scared of Fear” (no intro)
4. “Wishlist\u201d
5. “Dark Matter”
6. “I Got Id\u201d (with Neil Young\u2019s \u201cCinnamon Girl\u201d tag)
7. “Do the Evolution\u201d
8. “Won\u2019t Tell\u201d (dedicated to Neil Young)
9. “Green Disease\u201d (with tease of The Jam\u2019s \u201cPretty Green\u201d as intro; dedicated to Captain Paul Watson)
10. “Lukin\u201d
11. “Porch\u201d (extended)
12. “Better Man\u201d (with The English Beat\u2019s \u201cSave It for Later\u201d tag)
13. “Even Flow\u201d
14. “Sonic Reducer\u201d (Dead Boys cover) (dedicated to Cheetah Chrome)
15. Baba O\u2019Riley (The Who cover)<\/p>\nPearl Jam, \u201cCorduroy\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pearl Jam, \u201cWishlist\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pearl Jam, \u201cBetter Man\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pearl Jam, \u201cSonic Reducer\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pearl Jam, \u201cI Got Id\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pearl Jam, \u201cEven Flow\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pearl Jam, \u201cWon\u2019t Tell\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pearl Jam, \u201cScared of Fear\u201d (Sept. 25, 2026)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Best ‘Sophomore Slump’ Busters of Each Year of the 1990s<\/h2>\n