I saw Robben Ford at the Berklee Performance Center on Tuesday, August 16. I immediately needed to go practice.

Seriously though, Robben Ford has been my all-time blues hero since I was about 14 or 15. Everything from his phrasing to his technique is phenomenal. This time around, he played a lot of tracks from his newest album Into the Sun. The album itself is a wonderful explosion of blues but with the all-too-slippery-sweet sensation that is Robben Ford’s guitar playing. Live, it held up perfectly. The crowd was very accepting of the newer material, and Robben himself looked like he was having a good time blending the new tunes with the more classic songs.

My first experience with Robben Ford was a live album called Soul of Ten. Ever since hearing that, I’ve been a fan. His rendition of Nothin’ to Nobody on that album is both a wonderful example of how original a player Robben is, and how important guitar tone is to the overall sound of an album and identity of the guitarist.

Robben is a truly incredible gem among blues players today. Guitarists in many genres celebrate Robben’s original and instantly recognizable guitar style. (Yes, I have actually stolen some of his licks and used them in metal solos). Things were not the same the day following the concert. I sat at my desk holding my guitar realizing that I had much more to learn, and that’s okay. It is fun seeing players that are so incredible they make you reevaluate who you are as a player. Robben is definitely one of those players.