For most of us who are musically inclined, it’s only a dream that we’d get to play with such big and iconic names.
But one 18-year-old drummer, Kai Neukermans of The Alive, got to experience the exhilarating rush of playing on stage with a legendary name in the music industry: Pearl Jam.
The Mill Valley drummer learned that the Pearl Jam’s drummer, Matt Cameron, had come up positive for COVID-19 just ahead of the band playing the Oakland Arena.
The ambitious Neukermans decided to take a shot and save the day. He texted Olivia Vedder, the daughter of Eddie Vedder, and volunteered his services to the band’s performance. And it worked!
Neukermans had met Olivia Vedder while attending the Ohana Fest back in 2018. The drummer was happy to learn the very next day that he was being considered as a replacement for the band’s performance.
He submitted a video of himself drumming to Vedder, and it wasn’t long before they got in touch with Neukermans. He’d been selected to then be the replacement drummer! It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Understandably, he thoroughly enjoyed himself while also helping Pearl Jam save their Oakland Arena show.
On social media, Neukermans shared, “Oakland Arena w/ Pearl Jam ??Next level! Thx for havin’ me play…Honored to share the stage w/u guys.”
How cool is that?
Check out the video down below:
What do you think of his drumming? What famous band do you wish you could play for? Let us know!