You might recall how over the last few months, Pearl Jam had come under fire by former drummer Dave Abbruzzese due to the fact they he, along with other drummers who were instrumental in the band’s success, were not going to be recognised when the group is inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April. Now, it seems as though the rest of Pearl Jam have agreed to bury the hatchet and recognise the efforts of the former members.
As Rolling Stone reports, the band announced in a statement uploaded to Twitter, that they definitely plan acknowledge all previous members of the group. With the date of their induction, April 7th, coming up soon, the group stated “we do feel fortunate to be recognized and provided the opportunity to reunite with everyone who has been part of the group. Specifically the drummers who all left their distinctive mark on our band in the pre-Matt Cameron years.”
Note From Pearl Jam pic.twitter.com/Fl3JbRFKfa
— Pearl Jam (@PearlJam) March 11, 2017
When Pearl Jam’s Hall Of Fame induction was announced, the group’s founding members of Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and Mike McCready were all announced as eligible for induction. Likewise, original and current drummers Dave Krusen and Matt Cameron are also eligible to be inducted. Despite this, and the rules of the Hall Of Fame, which state “the members of each eligible band are determined by largely who was present and active during the most influential recording years”, Abbruzzese, who performed on Pearl Jam’s highly influential Ten, as well Vs. and Vitalogy, was was not included in the list of inductees.
Abbruzzese was vocal about his snub by the institution, but was certain his bandmates would do the right thing and acknowledge his contributions to the group. “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.”
Thankfully, with Pearl Jam choosing to acknowledge Abbruzzese’s contributions, as well as previous drummer Jack Irons, who is already in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, we’ll finally see the end of this bitter feud between highly talented musos.
