The combined ages of Joe Cocker and Steve Miller adds up to 128 years. They've been rock and blues stars since the late 1960s, giving them a combined 80 years near the top of the charts. Cocker even performed at Woodstock.

Yet these two musical dinosaurs proved to be giants Wednesday night before a happy crowd of fans at the half-full Usana Amphitheatre, proving that some things can get better with age.

In fact, the 64-year-old Cocker, backed by a tight seven-piece band, might have put on one of the best shows in a local concert season packed with headliners.

Cocker is such a pro that he made his 1969 Woodstock hit, the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends," sound like it was being sung for the first time, delivering the song with such conviction and passion that the years just melted away.

It was a thrill to hear Cocker perform The Beatles' classic "Come Together," employ his signature raspy voice on the Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City," show his chops on Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On," or make you believe he means every word of Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful."

The appreciative audience, dancing in the aisles much of the night, seemed to realize they were in the midst of rock royalty with Cocker and Miller. The night simply couldn't have been much better.

Miller, of course, played his hits, such as "Fly Like an Eagle," "Swingtown," "Take the Money and Run," "Wild Mountain Honey" and "Space Cowboy."

They were expected, though his two-hour set - during the 3 1/2-hour concert - left fans a bit worried that he might leave out "The Joker" and "Jungle Love." But just after 11 p.m., Miller finished a four-song encore with those two signature hits leaving fans delighted as they prepared to battle the traffic for the drive home.

The show rocked, thanks to a veteran band - including Norton Buffalo, who plays percussion and harmonica, and has been playing with Miller for 32 years - who added nuances not heard on recordings.

The big surprise, though, came when Miller announced he is recording a new album of old blues classics, and introduced veteran Checkmates' performer Sonny Charles as part of his band. Miller turned over the mic to the talented Charles for a handful for well-received Bo Diddley and Jimmy Vaughn classics, among others.

While rock dinosaurs roamed the stage at Usana Wednesday night, they proved far from extinct.

Tom Wharton can be contacted at wharton@sltrib.com. His phone number is 801-257-8909. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.