At the Rosemont Theater (in the northwest Chicago suburb of Rosemont) on Nov. 14, Steve showed a sold-out crowd at the Rosemont Theater why he's still one of rock's most celebrated and respected guitarists. From "Heart of the Sunrise" to "Starship Trooper" and "Roundabout," Steve and company provided the crowd with a truly memorable night of progressive rock at its best.

Steve still plays his trusty Gibson ES-175, given to him by his father back in 1964, and has been an avid endorser of Gibson Strings since day one. "I've never played strings that even come close to lasting as long as Gibson Strings do," Steve told Scott Johnson of Gibson Strings backstage after the Nov. 14 show.

Steve uses G-900ML Nickel Plus pure nickel strings on his ES-175, and he uses various custom-gauged Gibson sets on his other guitars and lap steels. He's very knowledgeable and very particular about his instruments (they're all on display in a book, The Steve Howe Collection), and Gibson's unique formula GG-910 pump polish is the only polish he allows to be used on the finishes of his guitars.

Steve noted that he really does put his instruments to the test each and every night on stage, and his guitar tech, Ron "Shoes" Matthews, will attest to that. Shoes, who has been Jimmy Buffett's guitar tech for many years, was getting Steve's rig packed and out the door when Scott Johnson caught up with him for a picture.

"Someone said that behind all great men there's a great woman, but with great guitarists, there's always a great tech," Johnson said. "Ron is a true professional, and like Jim Servis, Aerosmith's guitar tech, he knows that Gibson Strings and Accessories are the pro's choice for reliable performance, night after night. These guys put their jobs on the line every time their person gets up on stage to play, and if the equipment doesn't cut it, things can get ugly. That's why they choose Gibson Strings... they are truly the best strings these guys can play."