by Tim Van Schmidt

Let's just skip to the point to begin with. Tom Petty fans are in for a helluva ride this summer. Petty and the Heartbreakers began their 2010 summer tour last night at Red Rocks with some real thunder. Yeah, there were all those songs everybody loves, but the group showed what they were really worth with new material from their upcoming album release, "Mojo." That is, a band that still wants to play- and play hard.

After kicking things off with a good chunk of hits, Petty then introduced the "Mojo" section of the show, explaining that he wanted people to hear some new stuff, but promised to play "wall-to-wall hits" afterwards. At a lot of shows, this is usually the part where the group maybe breaks down into an acoustic format, changing things up for variety's sake. But that was not the case at Red Rocks. The electricity was fully in use.

The buzz about the "Mojo" stuff is that it is blues-based- and that holds true. This is strident, hard-hammering blues, double and triple guitars propelled by wailing harp. There are trademark Petty musical signatures throughout- the discernable hook, a certain twist to the words and cool delivery- but the point here seemed to be more about jamming as a band.

That is, except for one of the outstanding highlights of the evening- a reading of the new tune "First Flash of Freedom." "Tune" isn't really a good word for it- maybe "mini-suite" is better. The piece stepped far beyond bone-crunching blues into progressive rock territory, even jazz. Other "Mojo" tracks- like "Running Man's Bible" and "Good Enough"- maintained a pretty sharp edge, but "First Flash" is a bigger, more polished excursion.

Now, while Petty and the Heartbreakers plowed through some five new songs, the crowd at Red Rocks hung back and listened. You could kind of feel the change in the air- this wasn't the all-out party the hits produced. Petty got his wish to showcase new stuff and Red Rocks soaked it up- but it was back into party mode once the hits began again.

This show was the opening date on Petty's "Mojo" tour and while the band seemed to be spot on with most of the music last night- especially the tried and true- I'll bet the pacing of the show gets snappier once they get this new set down. I'd love to see these guys again in a couple of months- they will be blazing.

Listening intently to the "Mojo" music, maybe there were a few discernable cracks here and there. Maybe all those songs won't always be in the set list. However, I got the sense that Petty and the Heartbreakers were really applying themselves to the new material- that it was a challenge and their response was musical intensity. Bingo- they're still a great band, not just a great show.

The highlights of the hit portions of the show were numerous. I'll specifically mention "Breakdown" because, as one of the group's earliest pieces it offers a good perspective on where the band is at today and why. "Breakdown" was just great rock and roll theatre- Petty putting himself into the delivery completely. From the beginning to the present, apparently this band has always wanted to transcend the ordinary with rock and roll and the Red Rocks opener should hearten all the fans lined up to see the tour this year that they are still doing just that.

"Mystic Eyes" was also a highlight full of rock and roll drama. Other tunes on the Red Rocks set list included a blasting "Drivin Down to Georgia," "Refugee," "Mary Jane's Last Dance," "I Won't Back Down" and "Don't Come Around Here No More." The whole thing wound up with "Runnin' Down A Dream"- there isn't much further you can go after that one.

There were points where Petty and the Red Rocks crowd interacted- the audience filling in a whole verse here and engaging in some call and response fun there- and the evening was beautiful, dark cloud banks rolling harmlessly overhead, a cool breeze buffeting the amphitheatre at times. Actually it was good luck weather-wise considering how volatile Colorado weather can be. Petty and company certainly had their heads in the clouds to get this new, exciting tour rolling.

Like Petty and the Heartbreakers, I got a sense that opener Joe Cocker also still wants to play. That's right, Tom Petty wasn't all there was to this deal. Cocker turned in what must be kind of a standard set for him now. I saw him two years ago at Red Rocks opening for the Steve Miller Band and it was mostly the same show. But what a show and while Cocker's material seems settled, the man continues to work the vocals- appying some more of that "rock and roll theatre" I was talking about above. I was convinced that Cocker was letting loose at times, abandoned to the moment and that's really what counts with him.

Starting with "Hitchcock Railway," Cocker's set included the best of his career- "Feelin Alright," "Cry Me a River," "Delta Lady," a nice subdued "You Are So Beautiful" and "The Letter. But whenever the set needed a little pick-me-up, Cocker just pulled out the Beatles. Sure, "With a Little Help from My Friends" is still emotionally satisfying and "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" is dramatic and funky, but Cocker's mainstay showstopper now is "Come Together." His trademark gravely voice suits it perfectly- and it's a chance for a some cool psychedelic lighting.

Cocker will be doing further dates with Petty and the Heartbreakers making this the rock and roll double bill of the summer.