Phish farewell attracts thousands

Phish sang the US national anthem at a basketball game in March

US jam band Phish have begun their last gigs together at a special festival which has attracted thousands of fans.

The band have taken over an airport near Coventry, Vermont, where they are playing three concerts each day until late on Sunday.

But muddy conditions prompted police to set up roadblocks around the venue, with as many as 2,500 cars left abandoned as fans walked to the show.

The band were famed for their marathon performances and long jam sessions.

Seen by many as a younger version of The Grateful Dead, the band - who formed in 1983 - have a loyal cadre of fans known as "Phish-heads".

Police refused to estimate how many people were at the venue, but on Friday - a day before the festival began - 23,000 people were on the site.

One fan, Erika Sander of Blodgett, Oregon, was among those who abandoned her car to get into the airport.

"There is no way I am not going to get in," she said.

The event itself has a carnival-like atmosphere, with fans able to get a bird's eye view from a ferris wheel overlooking the site.

Silver-coloured sculptures dotted the venue, while kites were flown near dividers painted to resemble a massive picket fance.

Singer Trey Anastasio announced the split in May. He said he and his fellow band members - drummer Jon Fishman, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboard player Page McConnell - felt that "Phish had run its course and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note".

Phish were extremely popular on US college campuses, not least because they encouraged their fans to "bootleg" or tape their concerts.

The band revelled in their offbeat status and eagerness to experiment. Fishman regularly played a vacuum cleaner on stage, and they were often accompanied by goggle-wearing singer Steve Pollak, dubbed the Dude of Life.