More than 23 years have elapsed since Collective Soul headlined the final night of the now-defunct two-day CulloWHEE! Artsfest at Western Carolina University in June 2003, performing its signature brand of radio-friendly rock, alternative, and grunge that ruled the airwaves in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

With the Georgia-based band returning to Western North Carolina for a show at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort on Friday, Oct. 23, memories of that long-ago concert came flooding back into the frontal lobe, including yours truly in a role promoting the event and getting butts into seats.

First, a bit of background. The CulloWHEE! ArtsFest was WCU’s effort to bring visitors into Jackson County during the early summer by offering two days of music, arts, crafts, and food vendors. While the inaugural festival focused on jazz with the likes of legends Manhattan Transfer and saxophonist Davis Sanborn, organizers shifted gears toward a more mainstream approach.

In addition to Collective Soul, the 2003 festival included folkabilly queen Nanci Griffith, singer-songwriter Edwin McCain, and renowned blues singer Delbert McClinton. When I began plotting the public relations strategy for CulloWHEE! ArtsFest V. 2.0, I found myself scratching my head about Saturday nights’ top-billed act. I mean, I knew the group’s song “Shine,” the breakout single from the 1993 debut album “Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid.”

You would have had to have been living under a rock not to hear “Shine,” a ubiquitous, ridiculously infectious staple of rock radio and MTV back when the channel was a thing. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard album rock chart, remaining at the top for eight consecutive weeks. Billboard would go on to rank “Shine” among the 100 greatest songs of the 1990s, listing it 42nd.

But, one song does not make a headlining act, I thought, until the band’s compilation album “7even Year Itch: Greatest Hits, 1994-2001” arrived on my desk as a part of promotional materials. Popping it into the CD player on the ride home from Cullowhee, I quickly discovered that, yes, I did know a lot of Collective Soul’s songs. I just did not realize those songs were theirs.

Remember, this was during an era when radio DJs didn’t announce the name of each song and each artist. You would hear something like, “Get ready for a 90-minute rock block on 93.3 The Planet,” and the announcer would hit play and then take a nap, go for a jog, or eat lunch.

The band produced an amazing string of eight consecutive No. 1 singles on the rock music charts in its heyday. They include acoustic earworms “December,” “The World I Know,” and “Where the River Flows” from 1995’s eponymous second album; “Precious Declaration” and “Listen” from the 1997 release “Disciplined Breakdown”; and “Heavy,” the opening track from the 1999 recording “Dosage” and a tune that spent a then-record 15 weeks atop the rock charts.

Two other Collective Soul singles just missed the top spot, with “Gel” from the 1995 self-titled sophomore effort and “Why, Pt. 2” from the 2000 fifth studio album, “Blender,” both landing at No. 2.

After putting the greatest hits collection “7even Year Itch” into my personal heavy rotation play list, it became obvious we had one of the most successful rock bands of the era on tap for our little festival. And Collective Soul did not disappoint, treating the crowd to a rousing set of catchy alt-rock songs featuring soaring harmonies, blazing guitars, and an incredibly charismatic lead singer in Ed Roland.

Two distinct memories from that show stand out. When the band hit the stage and the opening riffs of the aptly named song “Heavy” began emanating from the amplifiers, a handful of the more blue-haired folks quickly folded up their lawn chairs and departed. “You would have thought Metallica was up there,” one friend remarked.

And, after watching Roland energetically bound across the stage, twirling the microphone stand and encouraging folks to sing along, another friend came up and whispered, “This guy is a rock star. We don’t have many real rock stars anymore.”

More than 30 years later, with more than 15 million albums sold worldwide (six of which have achieved Gold or Platinum sales figures), Collective Soul continues to make new music. The band’s 13th studio album, “Touch and Go,” was released April 18 of this year — fittingly “Record Store Day.”

In addition to singer Roland, the band consists of his brother, Dean Roland, on guitar, lead guitarist Jesse Triplett, bassist Will Turner, and drummer Johnny Rabb. Those who want to see a real rock star and a real rock band at work should be in Cherokee this weekend. See you at the rock show.

Want to go?

Alternative rock legends Collective Soul will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

Admission starts at $63.30 per person. The show is ages 21 and over. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.