Matt Cameron has been behind the drum kit for Pearl Jam since joining the band in 1998, but for the first time since then he was forced to miss a show after testing positive for COVID-19.
As Blabbermouth reports, for the band’s show in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, May 12, Seattle drummer Richard Stuverud and Pearl Jam guitarist Josh Klinghoffe filled in on drums for most of the show. “Matt Cameron is a true artist and he’s a force of nature,” frontman Eddie Vedder told the crowd before introducing the replacement drummers. “However, even his superhero status could not prevent him from testing positive.
This damn COVID thing yesterday. We’ve been scrambling for 24 hours because after 25 months of… We were supposed to be here 25 months ago.
We’ve been waiting and we’ve been waiting. Postponing wasn’t an option and for us neither was canceling. We didn’t want to pull the plug and we couldn’t pull the plug.