( CNN ) -- Jam band Phish broke attendance records and raised more than $ 1.2 million for victims of flooding this week in their home state of Vermont . The show took place at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction on Wednesday night -- nearly three weeks after Vermont experienced deadly , damaging floods caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene . `` It was amazing and inspiring to see so many people come together through music to aid the great state of Vermont , '' Phish guitarist and singer Trey Anastasio said . Vermont Gov . Peter Shumlin was among those attending the show , thanking Phish for coming back to Vermont , a state they had n't played since 2004 . `` There 's nothing better than the state of Vermont , nothing better than Phish fans , '' Shumlin said . `` It 's been seven years ... It was worth the wait ! '' The proceeds -- the final tally announced in a press release from the band -- will help Vermont , `` rebuild better than the way Irene found us , '' the governor said . Vermont was one of the hardest-hit states as Irene made its way up the East Coast . Many communities in the small state were cut off as floodwaters washed away roads and bridges . Phish 's decision to get involved in the recovery effort was n't a difficult one . `` We think it 's a really nice way to come back and give back to a state that has given us so much , '' keyboardist Page McConnell said when the band announced its intention to hold the concert . Phish partners with local charities in an effort to make positive impact in each of the towns they visit while out on tour , and in 1997 the band created the WaterWheel foundation to oversee its charitable activities . That includes fundraisers following disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan earlier this year . When it came to Vermont , the state where Phish was formed in 1983 , however , the band concluded , `` We have to do something bigger , '' said Beth Montuori Rowles from the WaterWheel Foundation . Despite having little time to plan , the concert came together , `` quite easily , '' Montuori-Rowles said . The band , on its website , thanked numerous major donors who underwrote the concert 's production expenses . Proceeds of the concert -- from ticket sales , merchandise sales , download and webcast sales -- will be directed to the WaterWheel Foundation and to the Vermont Community Foundation . Both organizations continue to raise money online for the Vermont recovery effort . And police in Essex Junction , located in western Vermont just outside Burlington , said the event also went `` better than expected '' from their end . There were no arrests or serious injuries , with only a slight traffic back-up for an hour as the gates opened . `` I ca n't remember a group as large and as pleasant to deal with as this one , '' Essex Junction Police Capt . Brad LaRose said . The police department even got in on the philanthropy , with some officers donating their time back to the cause . Rich Lewis , the Champlain Valley Expo 's public relations director , described the fans that came out Wednesday night as `` upbeat '' and `` appreciative . '' The concert , while a tiring event for Lewis and his staff who had just closed the state 's fair at the same venue last week , was `` substantial on all levels . '' `` I ca n't tell you how much we appreciate being a part of this groundbreaking historic event , '' Lewis said .
The show broke attendance records at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction . It was Phish 's first show since 2004 in Vermont , where they started in 1983 . The funds will help those affected by flooding caused by remnants of Hurricane Irene .