Album 926
Fishmans - 98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare
Year: 1999
December 28th 1998 Fishmans performed together for the last time with Shinji Sato, this was supposed to be the last time with bassist Yuzuru Kashiwabara but due to Sato's untimely death a few months later this became their last true performance. The performance itself lays on the atmosphere really thick and manages to keep it up for the entirety of the performance. While I may not enjoy Fishmans much outside of Long Season the buildup to the final track makes the final payoff so much more satisfying. As would be expected of the last show for a farewell tour they play through their most highly regarded work, ending with the utterly brilliant Long Season. If they hadn't played this album/song in it's entirety this would never have made this list, but the live and final version of Long Season is so, utterly breathtaking in the context of the whole performance. Context may be important but it certainly speaks for itself to me.
1 Choice Track: Long Season is over 41 minutes of pure ecstasy.