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Longtime Pearl Jam Member Foreshadowed His Departure From the Band With a Seemingly Innocent Joke

Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron used to joke about leaving Pearl Jam, but it turned out to be very serious for one of them.

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Founding Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament has revealed that he and longtime drummer Matt Cameron used to joke about when they would leave the band. Often, the jokes centered on having “three more years left” with the group, leaving after turning 60. For Ament, these were simply jokes, and he thought Cameron was on the same page.

But in 2025, those jokes turned out to be serious for Matt Cameron. After 27 years as Pearl Jam’s longest-running drummer, Cameron announced his departure. His bandmates thanked him for almost three decades of service to the band, which began in 1998. Cameron was on drums for every Pearl Jam album and countless tours since then.

Meanwhile, on September 25, 2026, Jeff Ament released a........

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