With Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron still sidelined after testing positive for Covid, the band tapped original drummer Dave Krusen to sit in during its May 16th show at Fresno, California’s Save Mart Arena. Although he joined the band onstage during its 2017 Rock Hall performance, the gig marked Krusen’s first concert with the band since May 25th, 1991 when he split the group due to substance abuse issues. While behind the kit on Monday night, Krusen tackled 10 songs with the band — eight of which he originally drummed on.
Ultimate Classic Rock quoted frontman Eddie Vedder‘s introduction of Krusen: “When this all went down with Matt the other day, we started thinking about all the other people that we’ve been through some great drummers. . . some of the best. Y’know, that first record (Ten) seems to be a record that affected so many people but our friend that was playing drums at that time, the amount of shows that he got to play with us was fairly limited. Well, it looks like this week we’re going to get to make up for that.”
- Pearl Jam North American tour dates (subject to change):
May 18 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
May 20 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
September 1 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
September 3 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
September 6 – Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Centre
September 8 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
September 11 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
September 14 – Camden, NJ – Waterfront Music Pavilion
September 16 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
September 17 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival at Kentucky Expo Center
September 18 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
September 20 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
September 22 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
October 1 – Dana Point, CA – Ohana Festival at Doheny State Beach (Eddie Vedder solo)
FAST FACTS
- Pearl Jam‘s debut album, Ten, was released on August 27th, 1991.
- The album, which peaked at Number Two on the Billboard 200, and has sold over 13 million copies in the U.S. alone.
- Ten’s key tracks, “Alive,” “Even Flow,” and “Jeremy,” helped redefine rock radio — along with those by fellow Seattle bands Nirvana and Soundgarden — which laid waste to the dying days of hair metal and ushered in the grunge era.
CHECK IT OUT: Pearl Jam with Dave Krusen om May 16th performing “Once” and “Even Flow” live in Fresno: