On November 30, 1996, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Phish played at ARCO Arena - a 15,500-capacity basketball arena opened in 1988 for the Sacramento Kings. This was the 31st show on a 35-date national tour following the release of ‘Billy Breathes’ that stretched from Lake Placid in mid-October to Las Vegas in early December. Fall 1996 tour included the Atlanta Halloween ‘Remain in Light’ show that catalyzed a shift to more extended funk jamming over the coming year. Sacramento fell among the ten tour-ending shows in the West. The tour was already heated up with strong outings dotting the landscape and Sacramento continued to elevate, deploying the extra element of special guests to the elixir, as they had done elsewhere along the tour. This was their only play at ARCO Arena and tickets cost $22.50. Sacramento ’96 set I hit the ground running with a 4-song opening sequence of Runaway Jim > Punch You In The Eye, and the penultimate All Things Reconsidered to date. Immediately there was a special energy flitting around the stage and arena. Stash came next with a bit of dissonant jamming, followed by Fluffhead which nearly blew the roof off the ARCO before the band introduced the evening’s first guest, John McEuen from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who added banjo to Old Home Place and Uncle Pen. Prince Caspian > Chalk Dust Torture closed the set, interlacing James Brown testimony and proto-1997 funk sections into an otherwise fast and furious Chalk Dust. Set II launched with La Grange > It’s Ice > Glide. It’s Ice found some dramatic space before the only Glide performed on fall ’96 tour. A molten Brother followed (with a shout-out to Page’s brother Steve) – the last to be played until Island Tour two years later. A mid-set Contact > 2001 > Timber > Taste saw more funky JB teasing during 2001 and introduced Sacramento’s second guest, Peter Apfelbaum on tenor saxophone for a tribal Timber, and Taste imbued with a unique and beautiful slow introduction. Apfelbaum stayed onstage for Funky Bitch and a stunning Amazing Grace Jam that also included John McEuen on lap steel guitar and left the place buzzing with inspiration. The guests returned for the encore, a rocking Possum finale that drew this extraordinary night in the Golden State’s capital to a close. 11/30/96 Sacramento was recorded by Paul Languedoc to digital multitrack and was mixed by Jon Altschiller. PRODUCTION CREDITS * Recorded by Paul Languedoc * Mixed by Jon Altschiller with Additional Engineering by Danielle Warman * Post-Production by Kevin Shapiro * Technical Assistance by Ben Collette   Runaway Jim (Abrahams/Anastasio) Punch You in the Eye (Anastasio) All Things Reconsidered (Anastasio) Bouncing Around the Room (Anastasio/Marshall) Stash (Anastasio/Marshall) Fluffhead (Anastasio/Pollak) Old Home Place (Mitchell/Webb)* Uncle Pen (Monroe)** Prince Caspian (Anastasio/Marshall) Chalk Dust Torture  (Anastasio/Marshall) La Grange (Beard/Gibbons/Hill)*** It's Ice (Anastasio/Marshall) Glide (Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/Marshall/McConnell) Brother (Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/McConnell) Contact (Gordon) 2001 (Deodato)^ Timber (Gary/White)^^ Taste (Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/Marshall/McConnell) Funky Bitch (Seals)^^^ Amazing Grace (Traditional)' Amazing Grace Jam (Anastasio/Fishman/Gordon/McConnell) Possum (Holdsworth)   All songs copyright Who Is She? Music Inc (BMI) except for: *Lynne Green-Melincoff; **Unichappell Music Inc (BMI); ***Music of Stage Three (BMI); ^EMI Full Keel Music Co (ASCAP) & The Music Goes Round BV (ASCAP); ^^Warner Bros Music  (ASCAP); ^^^Exceleration Music Partners LLC DBA Eyeball Music (BMI); 'Public Domain