Dave Abbruzzese on Whether He’d Rejoin Pearl Jam

In light of the sudden departure of drummer Matt Cameron from Pearl Jam, there has been ample speculation about who would become the band's new drummer. Some have wondered whether this vacancy could see Dave Abbruzzese return to the band.

The former Pearl Jam drummer, who appeared on 1993's Vs. and 1994's Vitalogy, had heard enough speculation that he took to Facebook to address it. Abbruzzese wrote a lengthy post saying, in part, "I thought I would take the opportunity to share some recent and past works with all of you that have bombarded my Facebook & Instagram pages with literally 1000's of posts, messages and emails, hoping I would call Pearl Jam and attempt to reconcile with them. To be clear, I have nothing to reconcile with them about."

He continued, "My firing from the band and the subsequent trials and tribulations caused by the actions of the band's management and the band's old label that made things challenging for me weren't completely my doing. With the exceptions of some petty comments and actions that I never quite understood or expected, I have never placed blame and harbored resentments towards the members of the band. I have been blessed to have participated in some remarkable musical projects with remarkable people over the last 30 post Pearl Jam years."

Abbruzzese added, "Although I never truly understood what was so important to destroy the musical chemistry we had back then, it is what it is, and I can't do anything about it. At least nothing that I can figure out. The years since 1995 have served me well towards growing as a person and a player. It seems the guys in the band matured and grew up as much as I did, but the fact that I haven't had any personal contact with any of them leads me to believe the water under the bridge runs too deep and too icy for there to be any reconnection or reconciliation. This is a shame and saddens me, greatly. I know I could and would have much to contribute if indeed the call came, but sadly, I don't see that happening."

News of Cameron leaving Pearl Jam was shared in a statement on July 7. As of publishing, a new drummer has not been announced.