Pearl Jam Announces New Album and 2024 World Tour as Eddie Vedder Declares Band Has Made Its 'Best Work'

Pearl Jam will release its 12th album 'Dark Matter' in April, before a world tour kicks off the following month

A new Pearl Jam era is in full effect!

On Tuesday, the iconic rock band announced its 12th album Dark Matter, released its title track as the lead single and unveiled dates for a massive world tour kicking off this summer.

Produced by Andrew Watt, the album was crafted last year over a three-week stint at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California — and vocalist Eddie Vedder is extremely proud of the project.

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"We’re at this time in our lives when you could do it or you could not do it, but we still care about putting something out there that is meaningful and we hopefully think is our best work," said Vedder, 59, during a recent private listening event at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, per a press release. "No hyperbole, I think this is our best work."

Dark Matter was crafted with Watt, Vedder, bass player Jeff Ament, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready as well as drummer Matt Cameron. According to the band, writing and recording as a unit made for a streamlined creative process, resulting in a special album.

"We felt like we were about to make a really important record," said Ament, 60, at the event. "A lot of that had to do with the atmosphere Andrew set up."

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Watt, 33, a Grammy-winning producer, has become one of modern rock music's tastemakers. Over the past five years, he's worked on albums by rock stars including Ozzy Osbourne, The Rolling Stones and Iggy Pop as well as rock-influenced efforts by pop artists like Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and 5 Seconds of Summer.

"He has encyclopedic knowledge of our history, not only as a band and how we wrote songs, but as players," added Ament of Watt. "He could pinpoint things we did on old songs to the point where I was like, ‘What the f--- is he talking about?’ His excitement was contagious. He’s a force."

He then expressed appreciation for the producer. "I just want to say thanks for keeping us on track. I couldn’t be prouder of us as a band," said Ament. "I feel so grateful for the fans, but mostly for my brothers and these people I’ve made music with."

Dark Matter will be released on April 19, shortly before Pearl Jam launches a 2024 world tour across nine continents. Kicking off May 4 in Vancouver, the band will play shows in cities including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, London, Barcelona, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Boston before wrapping in Sydney on Nov. 21.

Opening acts will include Deep Sea River and Glen Hansard at various North America dates, The Murder Capital in the United Kingdom and Europe, Richard Ashcroft in Dublin and London as well as Pixies in Australia and New Zealand.

Tickets for Pearl Jam's upcoming tour went on presale for the band's Ten Club members on Monday, while all other fans can register to purchase general tickets vis Ticketmaster by Feb. 18 at 11:59 p.m. local time for Europe, U.K., Australia and New Zealand shows and 11:59 p.m. PT for North America shows.

See below for Pearl Jam's 2024 Dark Matter World Tour dates.

May 04 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena

May 06 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena

May 10 - Portland, OR - Moda Center

May 13 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center

May 16 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena

May 18 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena

May 21 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum

May 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum

May 25** - Napa Valley, CA - BottleRock Festival

May 28 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena

May 30 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena

Jun 22 - Dublin, IE - Marlay Park

Jun 25 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live

Jun 29 - London, UK - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Jul 02 - Berlin, DE - Waldbühne

Jul 03 - Berlin, DE - Waldbühne

Jul 06 - Barcelona, ES - Palau Sant Jordi

Jul 08 - Barcelona, ES - Palau Sant Jordi

Jul 11** - Madrid, SE - Mad Cool Festival

Jul 13** - Lisbon, PT - NOS Alive Festival

Aug 22 - Missoula, MT - Washington-Grizzly Stadium

Aug 26* - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Music Center

Aug 29 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field

Aug 31 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field

Sep 03 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

Sep 04 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

Sep 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center

Sep 09 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center

Sep 12 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena

Sep 15 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park

Sep 17 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park

Nov 08 - Auckland, NZ - Go Media Stadium Mt Smart

Nov 13 - Gold Coast, AU - Heritage Bank Stadium

Nov 16 - Melbourne, AU - Marvel Stadium

Nov 21 - Sydney, AU - Giants Stadium

* Rescheduled date from 2022

** Festival dates are already on sale

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