Izabella Funk Fest

Only played 10 times, and never after '98, Phish's cover of Izabella always rips. I'd much rather hear this than another Bold as Love (played 62 times). This particular Izabella from the Palace in '97 isn't their best Izabella but the funk jam that follows more than makes up for it.

Following a straightforward though still rocking opening where Trey gets about half the lyrics right, he goes into a rock solid solo at about 1:45 and emerges almost a full minute later with a shit-eating grin to sing (er, make up) the next verse. This is quickly followed by a longer, dare I say Phishier jam with more great guitar work.

From about 4:30 on, just after Trey's chicken dance, it's all funk. Page takes over for a while and then Mike takes a turn at 5:45 with some really terrific runs. Then it's back to Page at about 6:30 for some funktastic synth work lasting about a minute. If you close your eyes at 7:45, you might think you've entered a funk dance party as the crowd and Trey boogie alike.