Lockn’ returned to Arrington, VA boasting its most powerful lineup yet, as Phish headlined two nights as well as the newly reunited Ween, who would also play two sets, along with a host of others. With years past marred by scheduling changes and bad weather, Lockn’ 2016 proved to be the finest edition of the festival yet. 

Thursday kicked off with a short schedule of performances, but packing an equally powerful punch as emerging funk outfit Vulfpeck hit the stage for a fun set before Umphrey’s McGee and Ween helped closed down the evening. During the Umphrey’s set, the band welcomed Gene Ween for a God Boner reunion as they covered Billy Joel’s “The Stranger.” Joe Russo’s Almost Dead handled the late night, their first of two late night performances. 

As the weekend neared, Phish hit the stage on Friday night for their first of two shows as the Vermont quartet made their Lockn’ debut with a rousing opening “Wilson” as well as highlights throughout including a standout “Ghost” and “Bathtub Gin” segment in the second set. The band helped close out a strong day of music that also featured Ween’s second set, White Denim (who welcomed Scott Metzger for a pair of tunes) and a 1-2 punch of funk with Turkuaz and Vulfpeck. 

While Lockn’ offered may of the biggest acts in the jamband world, it was rockers My Morning Jacket who ruled the day with a towering Saturday night headlining set. Full of choice covers (Prince’s “Purple Rain,” Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” as well as tunes from Bob Marley and Burt Bacharach) and some of their finest originals, My Morning Jacket owned the stage after a day of tunes that included Phil Lesh make his Lockn’ 2016 debut with an eclectic lineup of Friends. Lesh collaborated with Phish’s Page McConnell and Jon Fishman as well as The Infamous Stringdusters, Anders Osborne and Joe Russo. 

The final day of the festival saw Phish return for a fun, quirky set that leaned on many of their finest compositions like “AC/DC Bag,” “Limb By Limb,” “Twist,” “Tweezer” and “Harry Hood” as well as covers of “No Quarter” and a festival-closing “Loving Cup.” 

Dave Vann shared some images from the week that was.