Phish, in first appearance, comes home to Bonnaroo

MANCHESTER, Tennessee -- Phish might technically be a Bonnaroo rookie, but the band's first performance at the Tennessee music festival had the feeling of a homecoming.

Phish was to perform a highly anticipated set Friday night, playing until the early morning hours. The Vermont-based band, which reunited earlier this year after a five-year hiatus, is a double headliner, also performing Sunday evening.

All of the members of Phish -- Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman and Page McConnell -- have previously played Bonnaroo. In fact, festivals in 2007 and 2008 were the only times in Bonnaroo's eight years that a member from Phish didn't play.

Further, Bonnaroo -- held annually on a remote country farm about an hour's drive from Nashville -- was in many ways modeled on the destination concerts Phish has hosted through the years in locales like an old airstrip in Maine.

"To have them finally appearing at the festival as Phish, it feels like something's come full circle," said Ashley Capps, the co-founder of Bonnaroo and president of AC Entertainment -- which produces the festival with Superfly Productions.

Phish fans, among the most ardent in music, have come out in droves to see the band at Bonnaroo, considerably boosting the festival's attendance.

Phish's performance Friday capped the festival's jam-packed first full day. The lineup included Al Green, Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Santigold, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Lucinda Williams and Ani DiFranco.

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