With the Northern Hemisphere getting into the swing of the festival season, Tennessee goliath Bonnaroo made an eventful return on the weekend. The 2009 line-up was an exhaustive mix of the seasoned, fresh-faced and heavily-hyped – from Bruce Springsteen and Phish to Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective.

Despite the sweltering heat, musical highlights were plentiful. Fanning the anticipation for impending album Hot Sauce Committee, Beastie Boys invited fellow New Yorker Nas onstage to debut their new collaboration Too Many Rappers.

Following on from his Twitter retirement, Trent Reznor told the crowd gathered for Nine Inch Nails’ 1am slot, “It just dawned on me that this is our last show ever in the United States.” The frontman later added, “I think I’m going to lose my mind if I keep doing this, and I have to stop.”

Jam legends Phish showed no signs of stopping any time soon, playing two sets over the weekend. Their finale on Sunday saw the band joined by The Boss himself for renditions of Mustang Sally, Bobby Jean and Glory Days.

Those hoping to enjoy the – œPhish Experience’ under a fog of psychedelic drugs may have had their plans thwarted. On Friday, Nashville police raided a house and seized over 15 kilograms of hallucinogenic mushrooms baked into chocolate peanut butter cups. The haul was apparently bound for Bonnaroo. Party-poopers.