Incredible moment Oakland teenager Kai Neukermans invited to play the drums at a Pearl Jam concert

It was a last-minute thing, and I didn’t think it was going to work out,’ Neukermans said to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Kai was in class at Tamalpais High School when he got the message that the band wanted to see a video of him playing – with a plan that he would step in for one of the songs on Friday night at the Oakland Arena.

He recorded a video of himself playing along to the track ‘Mind Your Manners’ from the group’s 2013 Lightning Bolt album and sent it to the band.

Within an hour, their tour manager told him to come down to the stadium.

Although the group had secured Josh Klinghoffer, formerly o fthe Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Oakland musician Richard Stuverud to sit in for Cameron, they agreed to let Kai play one song, partway through the first set.

Kai is already an ‘experienced’ drummer and plays in a teen rock group called Alive, a band ‘launched between surf and skate sessions in 2018,’ according to their bio.

The group have played BottleRock Napa Valley, the main stage to Lollapalooza Chile and Boardmasters in England.

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Kai’s 14-year-old brother, Manoa Neukermans, plays bass in the band, while friend Bastian Evans, 17, of Laguna Beach plays guitar and vocals.

Despite his experience, Friday night’s stage was unlike any he had played before.

After arriving at the stadium at 6 p.m., Kai had just enough time to rehearse with the band.

‘There was a little rehearsal room that me and the whole band practiced in before the show,’ he told the Chronicle. ‘They were having so much fun. It was trippy to see them all.’

Lead singer Vedder then introduced him live on stage, saying that he had actually seen Kai’s band, Alive, perform.

He hasn’t graduated high school yet. This is the year, right?’ Vedder asked as he beckoned Kai onstage. ‘Everybody, this is Kai. Kai, this is everybody!’ to cheers.

The teen, wearing a black Rage Against the Machine T-shirt, sat down behind an orange Ludwig Vistalite drum kit.

‘You’re leading the band, brother!’ Vedder said, as Kai kicked off the high-energy track.

The crowd went wild as Kai set the pace as other band members performed with smiles on their faces.

‘My heart skipped a beat and I was scared for a second. But I was confident that I could pull it off because I had practiced a lot.

‘It was surreal, the amount of people that were there,’ he told SFGate. ‘The arena lit up and everyone was screaming.’

After just over three minutes, his time in the spotlight was over. Vedder held up Kai’s hand as he took a bow with the rest of the band.

‘It all happened so quickly,’ said Kai. ‘I’m super grateful.’