Eddie Vedder Says Pearl Jam Is 'Between Eras' and 'Excited About the Future'
Frontman Eddie Vedder says Pearl Jam is navigating a transitional moment, describing the band as "in between eras" as members regroup and work on new material. The comments come amid promotion for Vedder’s documentary Matter of Time, a film about his charity work, and follow drummer Matt Cameron’s announcement on July 7, 2025 (ET) that he was stepping away after a multi-decade run.
Vedder on change: rehearsing, experimenting and staying open
In a recent interview about his documentary, Vedder framed the band’s present state as concise and purposeful. Quoting a short assessment he’d read, he said, "The quote was, I think, ‘Pearl Jam is in between eras at the moment, '" and added that the line captured how the group feels. He described the current phase as one of rehearsal and exploration: "We're in the lab, we're woodshedding, excited. "
Vedder stressed that the band still values the core elements of its sound even as members remain open to evolution. "As much as we'd like to have done it the way we did it forever — and we'll still be able to do that thing — I think we're all just excited for the future, " he said, signaling an appetite for both continuity and creative change.
Who’s on the drum stool and what’s next?
When asked about the band’s lineup in the studio, Vedder declined to name who is currently playing drums, offering a guarded response about group decisions: "If I were to say anything, I think we'd wanna have a band discussion about what we'd wanna say or who would be the messenger or whatever. " The remark leaves the door open to several possibilities — a permanent new member, a rotating roster of collaborators, or a more gradual, private introduction of whoever fills the seat.
Matt Cameron joined Pearl Jam in 1998 and contributed to every studio album from Binaural onward, including last year’s Dark Matter. His July 7, 2025 (ET) announcement ended a run that lasted roughly 27 years, dwarfing the tenure of earlier drummers. Cameron has said he remains active musically and is working on material that revisits earlier collaborations.
Documentary work and the band's forward motion
Vedder’s current publicity cycle centers on Matter of Time, a film that chronicles his charity efforts related to medical research and the communities connected to that work. The interview about the documentary provided a space for Vedder to reflect more broadly on life in and around Pearl Jam, emphasizing that the band is together and creating even as it reconsiders its next chapter.
For fans, the key takeaways are that the members are active, rehearsing together, and approaching the future with curiosity rather than panic. Vedder’s comments paint a picture of a group willing to test new approaches while honoring what has defined them for decades — a balance that suggests Pearl Jam’s next steps will be deliberate and collaborative.
Whether the band will announce a permanent drummer, a guest-player model, or a different path remains to be seen. For now, the lineup is private, the work is ongoing, and the band’s focus is moving forward into what Vedder called an exciting, new phase.
