There are reunion shows and then there are reunion shows. Tripping Daisy — the neo-psychedelic alt-rock band from Dallas that Tim DeLaughter built in 1990, that put "I Got a Girl" on MTV, that fell apart in 1999 after the death of guitarist Wes Berggren — officially reformed in June 2024 with plans to tour and record a new album. Their Spring 2026 North American run brings them to The Pearl on May 14. Gerald will be there.

"A great venue doesn't just hold a crowd. It changes one."

The Headliner

Tripping Daisy

Formed in Dallas in 1990 by Tim DeLaughter, Tripping Daisy spent the early part of the decade building a reputation on the strength of their live show — a multi-sensory experience that incorporated hand-made slide projections and layered vocal effects before either was fashionable. Their debut album Bill (1993) on Dragon Street Records established a sound that was psychedelic but never self-indulgent: big riffs, unconventional song structures, and DeLaughter's voice doing things that most singers don't attempt.

The commercial breakthrough came with I Am an Elastic Firecracker (1995) on Island Records. The single "I Got a Girl" became an MTV fixture — notably featured on Beavis and Butt-Head, which in 1995 was as close to mass cultural endorsement as an alternative band could get. The follow-up album Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb (1998) pushed further into psychedelia and was critically well-received, but the band never got to tour it properly. Guitarist Wes Berggren died of an accidental drug overdose in October 1999. The band dissolved.

The reunion in June 2024 — announced by the Dallas Observer and kicked off with a show at The Factory in Deep Ellum — was not a nostalgia exercise. DeLaughter has spoken about wanting to record new material. The Spring 2026 tour is the first major North American run, and the setlist is expected to draw from the full catalogue. If you were there in 1995, this is the show you've been waiting for. If you weren't, this is the show you should have been at.

Essential listening before the show: "I Got a Girl," "My Umbrella," "Bang," "Piranha," "Field Day Jitters."

The Opener

Jumprope

Houston, Texas. Three people. Taylor Gibson on guitar and vocals, Nolan Kerbert on drums, Chris Dunaway on bass and vocals. Self-described "weirdo Texas garage pop." Their debut EP Hope the Neighbors Like Jumprope was released February 25, 2023 — six tracks of catchy, lo-fi, unpretentious guitar music that sounds like it was recorded in someone's living room and mixed by someone who understood exactly what the songs needed and nothing more.

The EP's standout is "CCV" — two minutes and nineteen seconds of power-pop that gets stuck in your head before the first chorus is over. "Little Black Hole" is the slow-burn track that earns the EP its runtime. "Oh Wow" is the opener that tells you immediately what kind of band you're dealing with: one that doesn't waste your time.

They've continued releasing singles through 2024 and 2025 — Ten Years in Houston (2024) and Helium (2025) suggest a band that is getting sharper without losing the rough edges that make them interesting. Opening for Tripping Daisy is the right room at the right time. Watch them.

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