Dave Abbruzzese is the bipolar ex girlfriend that won't stop trolling Eddie Vedder

Throughout former Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese's numerous, repeated pleas to be invited and included in the band's recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, I sympathized with him. I understood how it must feel to have your contributions to one of the most legendary rock bands alive suddenly be deemed unworthy of inclusion.

After all, Abbruzzese was the band's drummer during arguably their most fertile era, playing on Vs. and Vitalogy following the success of Ten, helmed by original drummer (and recent Hall of Fame inductee) Dave Krusen.

But all of that understanding and sympathy is gone now, at least from me, with his latest rant.

As Alternative Nation uncovered, Abbruzzese is once again chiming in on his exclusion from the Rock Hall induction, claiming that neither the band nor the Hall of Fame formally reached out to invite him (Pearl Jam posted an open letter inviting all past drummers to the ceremony). "That isn't an invite," he wrote. Okay.

He goes on.

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 on through and after unceremonious and disrespectful way I was fired.
Putting aside the fact that there are a thousand better ways to handle this (getting mad online doesn't solve anything), it's one thing to want to be included, but to start valuing yourself over some of the other drummers in Pearl Jam's history crosses a line that comes across as petty and small. Nobody got up on stage to diminish Abbruzzese's accomplishments (Hell, Eddie Vedder thanked him in his speech and called him a great drummer) so to try to discredit the contributions of Chamberlain (who referred Pearl Jam to Abbruzzese) and Krusen is a shallow attempt at settling a score that seems to date back to how his firing was handled.

He dives into full-cliche mode, saying he "never played for a paycheck" and "never let the fans down" all the while wondering why he's still a point of contention. That wonder can be answered simply by noting all of the public venom thrown in his direction, of which there was none. Pearl Jam's camp only preached inclusion for all of their drummers.

He closes with the probably passive-aggressive, "I don't know if I heard anyone say it, but you’re welcome and thank you, too."

Abbruzzese found his way into Pearl Jam during their incredible rise, playing on two of their very best records. To see him reunite even for one song on the stage at the Rock Hall would've been a treat for longtime fans but sadly, this case went from something special to something downright petty.

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

Time to STFU Dave! The fans are sick of you and it's obvious now as to why you were fired from the band.

Anti Pitchfork: Dave Abbruzzese trolls Pearl Jam over Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction snub with random non-sensical Facebook posts, continues to slander the band as he calls for them to defend his absence from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony...

Former Drummer of Pearl Jam- Dave Abbruzzese is obviously never going to get over being fired from the band and continues to slander Eddie Vedder since 1994. He was in the band for three years, played on two albums, and refuses to accept that the band did not get along with him and has moved on with their lives. He considers himself to be the 'iconic' Pearl Jam drummer who played during their most successful years. We have seen little evidence of a career from Dave ever since. He is a professional complainer who won't stop whining about every little Pearl Jam achievement he is not included in. It is becoming more and more obvious why this guy is not easy to get along with. This type of arrogant entitlement is what makes bands like Pearl Jam leave you behind. All of the other drummers that have played in the band have moved on with their lives and stayed on good terms with the band members. There is obviously something bipolar about Dave.

He has posted on Facebook slanderous comments about them being fake people without integrity, screwed him out of money and other baseless issues that are irrelevant to the public and fans of the group. Today, he has stated he does not care about making an acceptance speech or the award. So what does the man want!? It seems like he is gunning for some kind of explanation or apology from the band that will never come. Any group is allowed to fire a 'replacement' member if they are not satisfied with their work or there is a personality clash. He is not a founding member, nor has he been in the band the longest. Matt Cameron has been in the band for twenty years now. It seems this imaginary entitlement is all in Dave's head and he doesn't know how to move on with his life.

Perhaps he should have joined another band at the time of his falling out... Maybe Silverchair or Nickelback is hiring?

This pathetic war he refuses to let go of with Pearl Jam is embarrassing and only tarnishes the event. It's petty and baseless due to the fact that he was a hired drummer for a short amount of time relative to the band's entire career. To say, Dave was in the 'iconic' lineup, or that Pearl Jam has not continued a massively successful career after his firing is flat out wrong and inaccurate.

His Facebook posts are incredibly insulting to the band and he is directing his jealousy and anger in the wrong direction. He should challenge the Hall of Fame if he feels this is an essential mistake, but the more realistic perspective would be for Dave to move on with his life and be grateful for the few years and records he got to make with a legendary band. Things happen in the music business, people don't always get along and the bottom line is you have to live the consequences of your words and actions. He chose to take an adversarial side with them since 1994 and has slandered Pearl Jam time and time again. They have not said one bad thing about him since.

Move on.. get a life.. audition for a band..  maybe get on some form of anti-depressant.. but drop the whole entitlement thing. You're stuck in the past and it's not working for you.

Pearl Jam: Lightning Bolt

8.

"Everyone's a critic..." sings Eddie Vedder on the first track of Lightning Bolt. After the lackluster response to 2009's Backspacer, Pearl Jam settle in on a roots rock, soulful kind of sound. Much like The Rolling Stones in their "Tattoo You" phase, classic riffs and old-fashioned lyrics like "She's a lightning bolt", the band show they age gracefully on this one. It's a raw rock and roll record, made by a twenty year old band, much different from their previous work, but still hangin in there. Pearl Jam are fueled by perseverance. They have changed forms over the years, but there's always 'that' energy. Lightning Bolt features "Getaway",  a mid-tempo number with a punk attitude, the Neil Young inspired "Future Days" and the title track "Lightning Bolt" go in unique and unexpected directions.  Pearl Jam are somewhere in that experimental period for a band that's been around this long. There isn't a single vision as there once was, a more democratic approach to making records, but they stay true to their influences. This album is looser than the last, the band plays more laid back, they let songs wander. There are less guitar solos, and more colorful patterns in dynamics. Drummer Matt Cameron's style gives a twist to the softer, country-rock ballads. There is intelligent and interesting three guitar interplay between Gossard, McCready and Vedder. "Sirens" is the new single, which truly focuses on Vedder's vocal capabilities. It's an impressive performance. In essence, the new album is somewhat of an unexpected 'comeback' for Pearl Jam. It sounds like they stopped trying to appease a certain kind of audience and do what they want. It's more ambitious than commercial. If they quit now, they'll be able to say they had a good twenty year run and end on a good note. But something tells me they don't plan to quit. It's become their day job. We'll see how the fans react. 

Lightning Bolt is a solid 8.

Pearl Jam: Mind Your Manners (single)

5.

Speaking as a life long Pearl Jam fan, I have to say, this is a disappointing single, and even more, a generic punk rock song for them. At this stage in their career, it just doesn't come off sincere to release something that sounds like an indie Sub Pop band from 1989. Stylistically, this may go over well with the fans at shows, but as a teaser for a new record, a major disappointment. Pearl Jam once were a band who could pull off an homage to old school punk, being that they're officially pioneers of a genre: Grunge. But it's decades later, they've moved closer to a progressive rock band over the years and going backwards doesn't make sense to me. As much as I'd like to convince myself to love this song and get fired up for a new record, I feel it will be similar to the past few albums, albums with a few great songs and the rest are filler. In my opinion, they lost their way after Binaural. As good a drummer as Matt Cameron is, something about their songwriting ambitions changed for the worse when he joined the band. Perhaps they need a new incentive creatively, as this happens to all bands that stick together over twenty years. A band that was once innovative and unpredictable is now stale and unexciting, much like the new Rolling Stones records. If their goal is to parallel their career to The Stones, then Pearl Jam is directly on point. Unfortunately for me, I didn't see them that way, and hoped they'd continue to surprise. Eddie Vedder is one of the most prolific songwriters in history. I wonder if he sees it this way, or does he actually think this song is relative or substantial in the band catalogue in any significant way.