The beat won’t go on for Matt Cameron in Pearl Jam. The megaplatinum band’s drummer — a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, said on social media today that he has “taken my final steps down from the drum riser” and has left the group.
“Much love and respect to Jeff, Ed, Mike and Stone for inviting me into the band in 1998 and for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, filled with friendships, artistry, challenges and laughter,” he posted on Instagram (see if below). “I am forever grateful to the crew, staff and fans the world over. It’s been an incredible journey. More to follow.”
In the same post, his 27-year bandmates wrote: “From being one of our first musical heroes in the bands Skinyard and the mighty Soundgarden, to playing on our first demos in 1990, Matt Cameron has been a singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer. … He will be deeply missed.”
Cameron joined the Seattle juggernaut in 1998, when it was among the world’s biggest bands. After having played with Soundgarden from 1986 until its 1997 split, his first record with Pearl Jam was its cover of the 1964 hit “Last Kiss.” Initially was released only as a fan club single, it later was released commercially and rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains the group’s biggest hit.
Cameron went on to play on all of Pearl Jam’s albums from 2000’s Binaural through last year’s Dark Matter. Along the way, he was inducted into the Rock Hall alongside Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready and original drummer Dave Krusen in 2017.
He will make a return trip to the Hall of Fame induction stage in November with Soundgarden, which was elected in April. Cameron played with that Seattle band for a decade and returned when it reunited in 2010, drumming for Soundgarden until singer Chris Cornell’s 2017 death. He also was the drummer for Temple of the Dog, which featured Cornell and the members of Pearl Jam. Its dramatic 1990 single “Hunger Strike” featured Vedder’s first recorded vocal.
Cameron didn’t reveal any plans for life after Pearl Jam, and the group has yet to name a replacement.
