Pearl Jam kicked off their long-awaited, two-years delayed 'Gigaton' Tour this month and just a few weeks in, the band's drummer, Matt Cameron, has been forced to miss dates due to COVID.
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With little time to find replacements ahead of their Oakland Arena dates on May 12 & 13, the band sent a message to its fan club looking for help. On the first date, touring musician Josh Klinghoffer played most of the set before Oakland musician Richard Stuverud filled on several and Oakland fan Joshua Arroyo helped them close the show on drums for "Yellow Ledbetter". Stuverud returned for the second date to help out, as did Mill Valley teen drummer Kai Neukermans of the band The Alive. The latter of which became a viral moment.
The Oakland shows marked the band's first Bay Area appearance in eight years and made up for shows that had been originally scheduled for April 2020. The tour continues this week with dates in Fresno & Sacramento. It's unclear if Matt Cameron will be able to rejoin the band for those shows.
