BY MELISSA RUGGIERI/AJC Music Scene

An hour before Collective Soul hit the Music Midtown stage on Sunday for a muscular set that spanned their 23-year-career , the band chatted with us on their tour bus parked behind the Salesforce Stage about being one of the heritage acts at the fest, as well as moving forward.

Collective Soul will release a new album, "Blood," in the early part of 2018 and during Music Midtown performed one song, the instantly engaging "Right as Rain," from the upcoming effort.

The band also allowed us to hang on the side of the stage during their show (a highlight was watching frontman Ed Roland trying to nail drummer Johnny Rabb with guitar picks from the side of the stage while Jesse Triplett whirled through a guitar solo on "Better Now") and AJC video producer Ryon Horne assembled this 360-degree video from our unique vantage point.

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8/26/17 - Atlanta, GA - Georgia leaders, including Gov. Nathan Deal, Sandra Deal, members of the King family, and Rep. Calvin Smyre,  were on hand for unveiling of the first statue of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday at the statehouse grounds, more than three years after Gov. Nathan Deal first announced the project.  During the hour-long ceremony leading to the unveiling of the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at the state Capitol on Monday, many speakers, including Gov. Nathan Deal, spoke of King's biography. The statue was unveiled on the anniversary of King's famed "I Have Dream" speech. BOB ANDRES  /BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres