Last night Phish tore through the first two of eight sets which the quartet's scheduled to play during their three day "Festival 8" in Indio, California. The Halloween-themed bacchanal, taking place at the astonishingly beautiful Empire Polo Grounds (also home to the Coachella music festival), is a homecoming of sorts for Phish, which invented a new rock festival model in 1996—even before disgruntled audience members rioted at Woodstock '99 over the rapacious price of water. Phish was the first contemporary band to organize multi-day rock festivals which treated attendees like guests, not numbers. This novel approach inspired Bonnaroo, where Phish performed for the first time in June. more ›