Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is speaking out about former drummer Dave Abbruzzese’s induction snub into the Rock and Roll of Fame alongside his former bandmates. McCready spoke to Nik Carter and Lori Majewski of SiriusXM’s morning show Feedback last week. He thinks Abbruzzese played a pivotal role in the band’s success and should be inducted.
“Dave and I were the tightest in that band, and I feel like he should’ve been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” McCready states. “Dave was integral at the part when we were starting to take off, and we were playing at Lollapalooza, and we were opening for the Chili Peppers and Soundgarden and all that stuff, and we had to have a drummer cause things were blowing really quickly, and he was there right when that was happening. He rode that wave and helped us through that and I felt like that he should’ve been part of that and should be acknowledged because he was an amazing drummer and he was at an important time in our career. I miss Dave. He was a great drummer.”
Abbruzzese responded to McCready via Facebook, even inviting he and any Pearl Jam members to record with him.
“Dave and I were the tightest in that band, and I feel like he should’ve been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
“This touched my heart,” Abbruzzese writes. “Thank you, Mike McCready. I must admit that to hear my dear friend and former band mate acknowledge me in this friendly manner evoked an emotional response that I wasn’t prepared for, but I very much enjoyed. I am working on an album right now and would like to extend an invite to any and all Pearl Jam members including Matt Cameron to come on into the studio and make some music with me again. Wouldn’t that be something? Thank you, Mike. I miss you, too.”
Abbruzzese, who toured behind the band’s debut album Ten through 1994’s Vitalogy, was omitted when Pearl Jam was announced as Inductees late last year. Only original drummer Dave Krusen (who recorded Ten before leaving) and current stickman Matt Cameron were inducted alongside frontman Eddie Vedder, bassist Jeff Ament, and guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready during the ceremony back in April.
This caused Abbruzzese to become outspoken on social media about not being inducted. He even requested that the band “do the right thing” and include him as part of their induction in which the band replied by inviting all former drummers to join them on stage during the ceremony.
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