Mile High Lineup Unveiled

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Dave Matthews Band will headline the inaugural Mile High Music Festival near Denver July 19-20, AEG Live Rocky Mountains President/CEO Chuck Morris and a bevy of state and local officals announced March 18th.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Commerce City Mayor Paul Natale were all on hand at the festival site to unveil the lineup.

Joining DMB and Petty for the weekend is a broad scope of artists including Steve Winwood, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, O.A.R., Michael Franti & Spearhead, Andrew Bird, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, The Roots, Leftover Salmon and Ingrid Michaelson.

In addition to the 35 acts unveiled at the press conference, Morris told Pollstar he expects to announce many more artists in the coming weeks.

The festival, which appeared to be in doubt just a few short months ago, will take place on the largest soccer complex in the U.S., with 24 lit fields. It’s located adjacent to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., about nine miles from downtown Denver.

Morris had originally hoped to stage Denver’s first "destination" festival at City Park, but worries from Denver Zoo officials caused the promoter to seek another location – and the wide green expanse of the soccer complex was made available.

"With its abundant natural beauty, the Denver metropolitan area has always been a special place for outdoor summer concerts," Morris said. "The addition of the Outer Fields and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park has allowed us to realize our long-held dream of staging a world-class music festival in the Denver metropolitan area."

The festival will show off not just music on its five stages, but a breathtaking view of the Denver skyline and Rocky Mountains, food from some of the city’s top restaurants, and an artists’ village that will keep concertgoers busy between stages. – Deborah Speer