IF YOU GO

The Mile High Music Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday on the Outer Fields of Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. Tickets are $85 for a one-day pass and $150 for a two-day pass. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

HOW CAN YOU MISS THIS?

SATURDAYTom Petty and The Heartbreakers. O.A.R. (Of A Revolution). Michael Franti and Spearhead. Steve Winwood. Spoon. Jason Mraz. moe. Citizen Cope. Lupe Fiasco. Gavin Degraw. Andrew Bird. Josh Ritter. Mike Gordon. State Radio. JJ Grey and Mofro. Bob Schneider. Hill Country Revue. Newton Faulkner. Meese. Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. Born in the Flood. Eric Hutchinson. Railbenders. Meniskus

SUNDAYDave Matthews Band. John Mayer. The Black Crowes. Rodrigo y Gabriela. Flogging Molly. Colbie Caillat. OneRepublic. The Roots. Leftover Salmon. Martin Sexton. Pinback. Flobots. Ingrid Michaelson. Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. Brett Dennen. Rose Hill Drive. Tea Leaf Green. The New Mastersounds. Ferras. The Whigs. Alberta Cross. Serena Ryder. The Photo Atlas. Samantha Farrell.

If you’re going to debut a new major music festival, it has to be done right.

That’s what Denver concert promoters AEG had in mind when they set up the first Mile High Music Festival. The groundwork for the two-day extravaganza was laid out earlier this year, and Saturday and Sunday local music fans will get to witness the debut of America’s newest music fest.

“The only thing missing in Denver was a music festival,” said Denver AEG President and Chief Executive Officer Chuck Morris. “AEG develops festivals around the country – we work with Jazz Fest, Coachella, Bumbershoot and Rothbury. The Mile High Festival is the last piece in the crown. It’s the one jewel missing from Denver.”

If you’re going to host a royal flush in the world of music festivals, you’re going to have to come out with blazing guns. AEG decided to go for A-list acts, so the lineup for the Mile High Music Festival reads like a who’s who of the music industry – Tom Petty, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, O.A.R. and Michael Franti & Spearhead.

The Mile High roster also favored musicians that have endeared themselves to Colorado fans via shows at the Fox Theatre and the Fillmore Auditorium, so acts like Rodrigo y Gabriella, Jason Mraz and Flogging Molly were added to the bill. The promoters also wanted to show off Boulder/Denver bands, so local groups Rose Hill Drive, Flobots, Meese and The Photo Atlas are now a key part of the festival line-up.

The all-star band lineup required a unique setting, so AEG searched for an appropriate location that could hold upwards of 50,000 people. The company settled on The Outer Fields at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. It sounds far away, but the locale is actually only a half-hour away from Boulder and ten minutes from downtown Denver.

“There are 24 continuous soccer fields around the stadium – and that’s where the music will be,” said Morris. “I didn’t even know about this site until they heard we were looking for a place to put the festival. This will all be happening outside the stadium, and we’re going to have lots of different food and beverage stations, artwork and spritzing stations. There will be plenty of things to do – and the line-up is absolutely incredible.”

It could’ve been a logistical nightmare figuring out how to accommodate 50,000 fans, but AEG left the project in good hands.

The job of Mile High Music Festival General Manager was given to Rob Thomas. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because the music biz pro is a former GM of the Fox Theatre. He went on to manage the prestigious Fillmore Auditorium before he made the transition from Live Nation to AEG concerts.

Thomas is a master at multitasking. He is also the manager of local band DeVotchKa, so, besides handling the details for the Mile High fest, he’s been taking his act to the next level in the music industry.

“It’s been intense working on this festival,” said Thomas. “It normally takes people a year to pull one of these things off – and we did it in six months! The biggest obstacle was figuring out the parking, because we didn’t want to shuttle everyone in. We’re expecting 50,000 people a day. There will be five stages, so we just started at the perimeter with the parking and worked our way in. What would people coming in from there be looking for – food, bathrooms, and the stages. We planned from there.”

Thomas said the Colorado Restaurant Association stepped in to recruit local restaurants for the music fest. In addition, Denver’s Santa Fe Art District scouted a six-state region to find artwork to be displayed and sold at the festival.

The concert organizer is also proud of the scope of musical acts booked for the festival, and how the schedule was slated for local fans.

“There’s really going to be something for everybody here,” said Thomas. “There’s a lot of diversity in the bands and it will be good exposure for up-and-coming bands. This is a chance for people to check out bands they’ve heard the names of, but they’ve never seen. The music will be going non-stop on five stages.”

The stages (some tented) will host bands playing simultaneously, but fans coming to focus on the headliners don’t have to worry. Saturday night when Tom Petty goes on stage, and Sunday when Dave Matthews closes out the music festival, there won’t be any musical competition.

“The music will be going on even longer than the headliners,” revealed Thomas. “At 11:30 each night, we’re going to have an all-star jam that will run to 1:30 a.m. We can play that late, because there’s no neighbors out here – just the wildlife preserve and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.”

Thomas has also organized the Mile High Festival to operate as a “green fest.” Steps are being taken to recycle and composite the tons of trash left behind by concertgoers.

The musicians are also pretty psyched to be playing the Mile High Music Festival.

O.A.R. earned its local fan base playing shows in Boulder and Denver, and the group is excited to make an appearance on Saturday’s Mile High music schedule. The band is also looking forward to seeing some of the headliners.

“Normally we play Red Rocks, but when they called us up, we opted to play this festival,” said O.A.R. guitarist Richard On. “When you play a festival, you can reach a lot of people you can’t normally get to at your shows. They have choices of which they want to see at a festival, so you also play better. We’re really looking forward to seeing Tom Petty – we really want to see him play live!”

Boulder and Denver music fans got turned on to Ingrid Michaelson’s music through her VH1 videos and local airplay. The artist recently visited the Fox Theatre, and she’s looking forward to making new fans at the Mile High fest.

“I’ve done a couple of festivals and I always find the audiences receptive,” said Michaelson. “You can also have a good time. There are so many acts I want to see play at the Denver festival – I’m looking forward to seeing Colbie Caillat (we’re text message friends) and Tom Petty. I just love playing Colorado!”

Singer/songwriter Jason Mraz has perhaps the most interesting views about playing music fests. The energetic performer will play the Mile High Music Festival Saturday.

“I like festivals, because they help people break out of their bubble and they get to see what other bands are out there,” said Mraz. “The Mile High Music Festival should be great. I also get to see other musicians who are out there on the road. It’s like pulling into a truck stop and getting the updates from a gaggle of artists.”

For now, the concert promoters are crossing their fingers, praying for good weather, and hoping that the Mile High Music Festival will kick off an annual tradition in the Rockies.

“We want Mile High to become an annual festival like Coachella or Bonnaroo,” said Morris. “We’re hoping that its gets bigger and bigger every year. It’s going to be a great experience for everyone!”

Plus, you just never know who’s going to show up at this music fest.

Earlier this month AEG helped promote the new Rothbury Festival. Did the press cover the music? No, they covered Jennifer Aniston hanging out with current boyfriend John Mayer. Wait, Mayer’s on the Mile High bill. Hmmm?