Ex-Pearl Jam Drummer Dave Abbruzzese Still Pissed Off at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Of the five people to play drums for Pearl Jam, only two appeared onstage last Friday to be inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Dave Abbruzzese, the guy we hear on albums like Vs and Vitalogy was not one of them. In fact, he claims that he was never properly invited, something he calls “a slap in the face.”

Alternative Nation reports on Dave’s response on his YouTube channel.

Hello, David Abbruzzese here….

Not true, the band and the hall did not invite or contact me.. The band tweeted that they welcomed the idea of the event granting the possibility of all the drummers to be in the same room. That isnt an invite.

I personally have deep respect for all drummers and of course the five that participated in the pearl jam bands carreer… I am going to say this; For the band to put me in the same light as Matt Chamberlain & Dave K really was a slap in the face. Nothing to do with those guys as people or players. Respect… but as a contributor? A band member? A definitive contributor to the energy and power of where the band went? …the sacrifices, the work, the physical and emotional contributions…not to mention the personal weight of carrying onthrough and after unceremonious and disrespectful way I was fired. I gave this band all I had to give every single moment I was in it. I never played for a paycheck. I never let the band down. I never let the music down. I never let the fans down… not once. I suppose that is why I am still such a point of contention. Truth be told, if I would have been inducted, I would have requested my tech, Jimmy Shoaf Jr. and my daughter, Francesca to say a few words on my behalf. If they had invited me to be there to witness the bands induction? Nope. To do that would justify the mistake and disrespect the core fans that took this band to heart back when all we were to become, we had to earn and also, most importantly, we had to prove we deserved every single time we took the stage. And we did that. We, the Pearl Jam band & original crew, deserved to be inducted & respected. I’m proud of my old friends for managing it all so well. I dont know if I heard anyone say it, but you’re welcome and thank you, too

Thanks to Moe for the link.