Pearl Jam’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not without controversy. Of the five men who’ve drummed for the band, only founding member Dave Krusen and current stickman Matt Cameron are to be formally inducted alongside frontman Eddie Vedder, bassist Jeff Ament, and guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready.
Dave Abbruzzese, who drummed with PJ from the 1991 tour behind Ten to the recording of 1994’s Vitalogy, has been particularly vocal about his omission. In a letter recently posted to Facebook, Abbruzzese wrote, “I challenge anyone to justify why I am not worthy of a place in the history of Pearl Jam.
“The official reason given from the RRHOF makes it bullshit,” he added. “It make my years of hard work appear to be worthless towards the success born of the formative years of Pearl Jam. This is simply not the case. The milestones and the success obtained during my period in the band… The Grammy, AMA’s, MTV Awards, over 20 plus million albums sold. MTV Unplugged performance. SNL twice, etc. Over 275 shows.”
Abbruzzese called on his former bandmates to do “the right thing,” adding, “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.”
Now, in a new open letter, Pearl Jam expressed their desire to reunite with Abbruzzese and their other former drummers, Jack Irons and Matt Chamberlain, at the induction ceremony next month.
“While awards and accolades are understandably subjective and a countless number of our peers have yet to be honored, we do feel fortuante to be recognized and provided the opportunity to reunite with everyone who has been part of the group,” the letter reads. “Specifically the drummers who all left their distinctive mark on our band in the pre-Matt Cameron years.”
“Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlin, Dave Abbruzzese, and Jack Irons are each individually great players who gave their all to the early recordings and live gigs. Looking forward to seeing them and all the other musicians on the bill.”
Read Pearl Jam’s full letter below.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame goes down April 7th in Brooklyn. A pre-recorded telecast will then air on HBO on April 29th.
