Phish Caught by Thousands in Rural Maine

A lonely air base transformed virtually overnight into a teeming tent city where Generation X rock ‘n’ roll fans gathered for a weekend music festival alongside runways where B-52 bombers once came and went.

While baby boomers returned to hallowed ground at a Woodstock anniversary concert in New York, a mostly younger generation of tie-dyed music lovers convened for a two-day Phish jam, called Lemonwheel for the thin-sliced citrus garnish, in a remote corner of the country near Canada.

The Vermont-based rock band, considered the successor to the Grateful Dead, staged their end-of-summer festival for the second year at Loring Air Force Base, which was closed in 1994. Promoters didn’t release ticket sales figures, but police estimated the crowd at 60,000 when the music started Saturday evening.

For almost as far as the eye could see, the landscape was covered with colorful tents. “Everybody is having fun,” said Chris Scott, a 19-year-old Pennsylvania State University student.

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Amateur vendors cropped up selling pancakes sizzling on hot plates and brewing coffee next to more organized setups offering pizza and breakfast burritos. There was even a general store set up at one tent, selling newspapers, bananas, toilet paper and drinks.

To the south, in Bethel, N.Y., a more commercial view greeted a crowd of more than 18,000 on the original site of Woodstock on the 29th anniversary of the landmark rock ‘n’ roll festival.

Performers included Pete Townshend, Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Third Eye Blind and Goo Goo Dolls.

In more than 40 shops, vendors were hawking everything from cellular phone service to toothpaste. And in a ‘90s twist, there were longer lines at the portable ATM machines than at the portable toilets.