Why Pearl Jam Fired Drummer Dave Abbruzzese

Pearl Jam seemed to have trouble holding onto a drummer during the 90’s. Over the decade, the band had 5 different drummers, including Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzesse, Jack Irons and their current drummer, Matt Cameron.

Dave Krusen Leaves Pearl Jam for Personal Reasons

In 1991, Pearl Jam released their monumental debut record, Ten, which saw drummer Dave Krusen behind the kit. Krusen left Pearl Jam in May of 1991, just as the band was going to England to mix Ten and he soon checked himself into rehab.

Krusen was suffering from personal problems including alcohol addiction and dealing with his first child on the way. It would take two more tries, but by 1994, he would be sober.

Matt Chamberlain Temporarily Replaces Dave Krusen

Matt Chamberlain was brought in to play a string of dates for the band while out on the road promoting Ten and was offered the drumming spot but declined. He wanted to slow down his life a bit and he told author Mark Yarm in the book Everybody Loves Our Town, that he felt no emotional connection to the band since he was a replacement player.

Chamberlain was friends with a drummer named Dave Abbruzzesse who he knew back in Texas. He recommended him to Pearl Jam.

Abbruzzesse was playing in a funk band at the time in Dallas called Dr. Tongue, while also hosting his own radio show on community radio called Music We Like. It was that show where he first heard of Pearl Jam. He initially had a negative response to Pearl Jam’s sampler CD and claimed that he only made it through 25 seconds of the first couple songs.

Abbruzzesse arrived in Seattle just as the band was filming the video for their single, “Alive”. He wouldn’t perform in the video as Matt Chamberlain was still in the band but soon Abbruzzese would start performing with the group, just before the release of Ten.

Dave Abbruzzesse Tours with Pearl Jam

Abbruzzese toured extensively with the band over the next 3 years, performing on their MTV unplugged set, Saturday Night Live, and the band’s follow up records including 1999’s Versus, and 1994’s Vitalogy.

It was during the making of Vitalogy where tensions seem to flare up in the band, leading to his dismissal. According to guitarist Stone Gossard, Vitalogy was the first Pearl Jam record where Eddie Vedder was the one making all the final decisions on the album.

“Dave was an extremely busy player and Eddie liked a more of a raw sound.” – Adam Kasper

According to producer and engineer, Adam Kasper, Vedder wasn’t happy musically with Abbruzzese. Kasper claimed, “Dave was an extremely busy player and Eddie liked a more of a raw sound. We even started out with drum machines and that’s sort of a slap in the face to the drummer.”

It’s also been claimed that there were personality conflicts between the members and Abbruzzese, more specifically frontman Eddie Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament.

Producer Brendan O’Brien claimed at one of the recording sessions for Vitalogy, Abbruzzese accidentally knocked over Vedder’s guitar that was a gift from The Who’s Pete Townsend. The guitar broke and Abruzzese apparently left a little note for Eddie and left the studio to go do a drum clinic or some sort of self-promotional gig. Abbruzzese denied this ever happened.

Also happening around this time, Pearl Jam got involved in a highly publicized dispute with Ticketmaster over their exorbitant fees on concert tickets. Abbruzzese thought the band should be focusing on music instead of fighting with the ticket giant. The fight got so big that several members of Pearl Jam would testify in front of congress.

“The more I read about the Ticketmaster situation, it’s like it all sounds good and nice but there are way more important flagrant injustices we could have latched onto.” – Dave Abruzzese

Dave Abruzzese told Mark Yarm, “When those guys were testifying in front of Congress, I was in Indonesia just enjoying being alive. The more I read about the Ticketmaster situation, it’s like it all sounds good and nice but there are way more important flagrant injustices we could have latched onto.”

“He was more comfortable being a rockstar than the rest of us.” – Jeff Ament

Bassist Jeff Ament would tell Mark Yarm, “Dave was a different egg for sure. There were a lot of things personality-wise where I didn’t see eye to eye with him. He was more comfortable being a rockstar than the rest of us. Partying, girls, cars. I don’t know if anyone is in the same place…”

Dave fired back claiming he was the only member of the band who had the same girlfriend for 8 years and that he was driving a used car during his time in the group and the band was hypocritical for showing up on the cover of magazines and then complaining in the same interview how they didn’t want to be rockstars.

Guitarist Stone Gossard would attempt to play the middle man, claiming Abbruzzese’s ability to communicate with Ed and Jeff were stifled and that it wasn’t necessarily the drummer’s fault.

On August 1, 1994, Pearl Jam announced the drummer had left the group on amicable terms, but Dave would later come out and claim he was fired. He told the story of how he met guitarist Stone Gossard for breakfast and was told point blank the band was looking for another drummer.

“There was a little part of me that would’ve loved to have clobbered him and another part of me that felt like I already have…” – Dave Abbruzzese

Abbruzzese would soon receive calls from the other members of the band except Vedder and he wouldn’t see Vedder until a few years later after he and a friend attended a Chris Cornell show in Seattle.

Dave remembered, “Eddie came up to us. He said, ‘Dave Abbruzzese’, and kinda put his arms out in greeting because he couldn’t hide from me… He started rambling and tried to join in our conversation and he ended up toddling off. There was a little part of me that would’ve loved to have clobbered him and another part of me that felt like I already have, just by the fact that I could still sleep at night and I was proud of everything we accomplished.”

Following his dismissal, Dave would pursue other musical projects, including auditioning for Guns N’ Roses in 1997 following the departure of longtime drummer Matt Sorum.

Pearl Jam Inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame

Fast forward to 2016, the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame announced that Pearl Jam would be part of the 2017 inductee class. There was a lot of controversy over who would be inducted but Dave would not be inducted, despite the fact that drummer Dave Krusen and Matt Cameron were.

“They can’t justify ignoring my contributions, like me or not.” – Dave Abbruzzese

Abbruzzese took it as a snub and was vocal in the press, “The members of Pearl Jam have got to know what’s the right thing to do. They can’t justify ignoring my contributions, like me or not.

If there is still a part of that band that remembers how hard we worked, how much blood and how much sweat, they will do the right thing. It’s just a fine opportunity to see what Pearl Jam has to say in response. Let’s see if they do the right thing. It’ll be interesting to see the spin that is put on it. The band and its management have never been ones to shy away when an injustice is done. Let’s see if they still have the courage to fight the good fight.”

Pearl Jam would make an attempt to include everyone in the ceremony, but Dave didn’t see it that way. He released a statement, a week after the ceremony in April of 2017, which he didn’t attend, lashing out at the band, “The band tweeted that they welcomed the idea of an event, granting the possibility of all the drummers to be in the same room. That isn’t an invite.”

“For the band to put me in the same light as Matt Chamberlain and Dave Krusen was a slap in the face.” – Dave Abruzzese

Abbruzzese claimed he had a greater impact on the band than some of his peers, “For the band to put me in the same light as Matt Chamberlain and Dave Krusen was a slap in the face. Nothing to do with those guys as people or players. Respect, but as a contributor? …

The sacrifices, the work, the physical and emotional contributions, not to mention the personal weight of carrying on through and after an unceremonious and disrespectful way I got fired. I gave this band all I had to give, every single moment I was in it… I never let the band down. I never let the music down. I never let the fans down, not once.”

Guitarist Mike McCready, who was quite close with Abbruzzese, would come out and say that the drummer should’ve been inducted. He would go on to explain how the former drummer was an essential band member, helping the band navigate the massive success they experienced from playing Lollapalooza and opening for the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden.

Dave would state his biggest regret was not getting fired, but the fact that the band didn’t put out more music during his time in the group.

Like this story?  Check out Metallica’s Incredible Making of And Justice for All?

Check out our YouTube channel