Matt Sumrow: With so many shows in the past to choose from, I tried to think of maybe my top five favorite bands and think of when I first saw them. Or maybe some of the first shows I ever saw, when I was still a teenager in the nineties? Or wait, maybe one of my first shows I saw of one of my favorite bands still to this day, that I saw as a teenager?  

Narrowing that down, the standout is seeing Spiritualized in 1997 in Charlotte, NC at the Treefort Music Hall. They had just come off H.O.R.D.E tour, this alterna-festival that had Neil Young headlining with a diverse set of acts opening, from Primus to Spiritualized.  I didn’t think they really belonged there, so it was perfect to be seeing them in a dark, dirty small venue. They arrived late though, and we were forced to spend some quality time outside on the line building anticipation. 

We were obsessed with their impossible-to-find import-only vinyl live record “Fucked Up Inside,” which we only had a CD burn of, so the possibility of seeing them live was unreal for our young minds.  They ended up handing out free CD singles of “Electricity” to all us in line as a consolation for their tardiness, which I still have as a souvenir. Finally, we got in and the set was amazing. Jason, Sean, Kate, Jonny all on stage. Was definitely missing Mark Refoy and Will Carruthers from the Lazer Guided Melodies album lineup, but the show was beyond sublime all the same.   ❖

Heaven’s album Dream Aloud is out on April 4.