Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 is considered to be the seminal collection of garage rock music, and on said album you will find the 13th Floor Elevators song “You’re Gonna Miss Me.” It’s fitting, as they were one of the best bands of the early garage rock/psych rock era. However, due in large part to the mental health issues facing frontman Roky Erickson, they haven’t performed together for decades. At least, that was true until the Texas band took the stage at Austin’s Levitation Festival, where they played together for the first time in 47 years.
For fans of the band and garage rock (or psych rock or whatever nebulous subgenre of rock you want to label them with), it was a pretty cool moment. The 13th Floor Elevators released four albums between 1966 and 1969 before things fell apart. In 1990, musicians such as R.E.M., The Jesus and Mary Chain, and ZZ Top joined together for a tribute album entitled Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson. But now fans don’t have to limit themselves to tribute acts and old recordings. For at least one evening, the 13th Floor Elevators were back.
(Via Stereogum)
