Pearl Jam enlisted the help of a young fan to play the drums at its concert in Oakland on Friday night (May 13), after the band’s drummer, Matt Cameron, fell ill withCOVID-19.
Kai Neukermans, 18, will remember the Peal Jam concert for the rest of his life…
“Everybody, this is Kai; Kai, this is everybody,” singer Eddie Vedder said by way of introduction. “You’re leading the band, brother,” the rock legend continued.
To get noticed by the four-time Grammy-winning band, KaiNeukermans sent a text message toEddie Vedder’s daughter, Olivia Vedder, whom he had previously met in 2018.
“It was a last-minute thing, and I didn’t think it was going to work,” the main man explained to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The members of Pearl Jam asked the young man for a video of him playing the drums on one of their songs, which he did. However, the young drummer had to skip school to do so. He sent a video of Mind Your Mannersfrom the band’s 2013 album Lightning Bolt (2013) of the band.
An hour later, the band’s tour manager asked him to come to the stadium for a quick tryout.
“My heart started racing when everyone started screaming,” he added.