The cowbell-wielding crowd gathered on Church Street in downtown Burlington, Vermont last Saturday, to raise money for Phish's nonprofit charitable organization, the WaterWheel Foundation. The event also marked the 15th anniversary of the band's own ice cream flavor Phish Food.

Jon Fishman and the five band mates of his self-proclaimed World Record Breaking Event Band, featuring Russ Lawton of Trey Anastasio's band on drums, opened with the cowbell-intensive song Time Has Come Today by The Chambers Brothers and all participants joined right in.

Next they launched into the Blue Oyster Cult song (Don't Fear) The Reaper, referring to the famous Saturday Night Live skit in which Christopher Walken plays a record producer who repeatedly urges a musician (played by Will Farrell) to add more cowbell.

This song was followed by Bachman-Turner Overdrive tune Takin' Care of Business.

Have a look at the band's introduction and rendition of Time Has Come Today:

The previous world's largest cow bell ensemble involved 640 participants, in an event organised by Künstlerhaus Boswilin Boswil, Switzwerland, on 6 September 2009. The event was made in conjunction with the Boswil show in Switzerland led by Paul Hamner of Johannesburg.