Dave A. and Jack Irons both shaped Pearl Jams sound intensely in their own way. I think Matt is doing a good job but I never thought "This would not sound the same without Matt" on any song they did with him. With Matt my thoughts are mostly "Yep, that serves the song perfectly fine" or "Hm, a more subtle/groovier drummer would have made that more interesting"

Very difficult to picture another drummer on Binaural. Matt nailed that one perfectly.

I almost wish they would've just let Dave A into the hall of fame...just to shut him up

Also, would've been great to throw him a bone and let him play a Vs song too

It would probably be abundantly clear at that point (following Krusen, followed by Jack and then Matt) how he still doesn't fit the band

Dave A would've been a better fit in either Seven Mary Three , Collective Soul, or Creed

Pearl Jam made the right move sacking this clown

I hope Dave A has moved on from Pearl Jam and what happened 30 years ago. If he hasn't it's sad and I hope he finds a way forward but I don't blame him if he struggles with it or picks at Pearl Jam like a scab.

Someone else on here raised a similar point don't know whom or where but it was a bit of a defense of Dave that inspired the following and building off from that person's post:

He was the drummer for the biggest band in the world and one since that has attained legendary status or at least the level where casual listeners will fill stadiums to see them play the hits and a fanatically devoted fan base that follows them from city to city. And he was in the middle of that in the early years and played on two of their greatest albums.

Sure, it was a short period of time but during that brief 2+ years he had experiences far outside most people's. And it ended badly.

I think if he'd said nothing about the band, hadn't been interviewed for that Kim Neely (sp?) book maybe they'd have invited him back to play some songs during some of the shows on the Gigaton tour or for the rock hall.

Maybe even PJ20. Heck, maybe he'll be there for PJ35 or 40.

Angel, Go, WMA with Matt and finally Animal, would anyone not want to experience such a quartet if given the chance? Hey who knows? I never thought the Pixies would reunite.

As for his drumming, I think he was the perfect fit for the band at the time, his funky and heavy groove supplying the foundation from which to build upon.

And his playing on Vitalogy is excellent, tight, tasteful, serving each song perfectly and brings Immortality to a gentle close, such restraint..!

Since they'd sewn the April Better Man performance onto the studio track, they should've done the same for Satan's Bed from the same show or the one from the 4/17 NYC show. It needed his drumming and that unique quick double-hit (?) at the start. Moot now.

I appreciate all the PJ drummers for what they brought, Krusen at the beginning, Dave through some seriously tumultuous years, the seeming stabilization and almost mystical feel of Jack (I love the Whale Song) and the precision, high-energy power and the sometimes off kilter weirdness of Matt.

While some may have been displeased with the "sloppiness" of some of their longer shows when 30+ songs became the norm, Matt nary made an error and brought propulsive, improvisatory playing to the stage.

You want a noisy dissonant jam in RVM? Matt's got it. A short, tight Porch circa 2000. Of course. A moody improv with a few chords, Matt's your man. Inspiring atmospheric intros to RVM in 2003, definitely!

Evenflow jam without Stone, sure.

With Stone, yeah!

8 mins long and throw in a tasteful short drum solo, yep!

He was the drummer who got them to the "larger than life" live status of the Zeppelins and Stones. He brought interesting fills, speed and stamina.

I digress.

Back to Dave A. I hope he's moved on and the occasional comment on PJ is just that, picking at a scab or perhaps an old scar, something that unfortunately gets expressed and disseminated through social media that maybe would've been held to his select friends in his own life pre-Internet instead of being seen by anyone with a smart phone.

Don't like his drumming? I get it. Don't like how he's conducted himself in regards to PJ since then, I get it and probably agree.

But I understand why.

For most people getting fired from a job is a traumatic experience, being let go from one of the most successful rock bands fronted by a new charismatic singer with a one-of-a-kind warm and deep voice to sink into is something else entirely, let alone watching them march forward without him year after year while their peers fall to the side.

Security didn't usher Dave A out of the building but it was a loss and a humiliating one at that, and perhaps some part of him never left.

For all that, though I don't know him and think it's not my place to comment, yet here I am. So I'll end on this:

I feel for him and genuinely hope he's moved on.

Which for all I know, he has.

Imagine how Dave’s drums would sound after Wottman got his hands on them

we would not think of such things

plus Dave A would just laugh in his face prob

Dave A had standards

I enjoyed this post. Cheers.

In all sincerity, that was a fantastic post that I enjoyed...

That said, do you think Dave A. wishes he had drummed on Dark Matter?

He was in the band exactly three years. That was 30 years ago. Ten periods of three years since he got fired.

That's a lot of grey pubic hair in between, Anders

Biggest, busiest, most important 3 years of the bands history, no?

It’s like Joey Cora on the 1995 Mariners.

Only he’s not begging to be recognized at all star games and anniversary celebrations and stuff.

So I guess it’s not like that at all.

Bye.