Phish Welcomes Kenny Rogers For ‘The Gambler’ At Bonnaroo In 2012

Jam titans Phish performed at both the 2009 and 2012 installments of Bonnaroo and they were joined by legendary musicians at each one. In 2009 Bruce Springsteen led the quartet through a few songs and on this date in 2012 Kenny Rogers joined Phish for a rollicking version of “The Gambler.”

Rogers discussed his guest spot leading Phish through “The Gambler” at Bonnaroo ’12 in a 2015 interview with the Asbury Park Press. “It was so much fun, they were so receptive. (Phish) came in my dressing room and said, ‘We really want to do this, would you mind doing it?’ and I said, ‘No, I don’t mind doing it.’ And, when I performed at Bonnaroo, the first thing I said was, ‘What’s wrong with this picture, Kenny Rogers and Bonnaroo?’ And it was fun. The people loved it,” Kenny said about the experience. “Phish was one of those groups that I had heard but didn’t really know, and I think from that date on I realized how big they were.”

Listen to Kenny Rogers lead Phish on “The Gambler” at Bonnaroo in 2012: