Guster lead singer Ryan Miller drew cheers from the audience at a Friday night concert in Skokie, IL, when he announced that he grew up in Skokie. He told the crowd that he visited his old house earlier in the day and that his grandfather had built the nearby temple. Miller looked out on the crowd and quipped that this was "a good-looking group of suburban Jews," which brought laughter from the crowd across the Illinois Science + Technology Park Field.

The concert was the final evening of the three-night Out of Space series presented by SPACE nightclub in Evanston.

Miller continued to reference this town throughout the show. At one point, he claimed that, before settling on the name "Guster," they considered naming the band "Skokie." They then played a song about "Skokie."

Although Miller weaved humor between the numbers, Guster is serious about their music. Their tight harmonies were evident tonight as they worked through over twenty songs. Each band member is a first-rate musician, and their arrangements brought smiles to faces. Percussionist Brian Rosenworcel was particularly impressive, moving between a traditional drum set and a large set of bongo drums that he played barehanded.

The crowd was in a frenzy, bouncing to catchy tunes and shouting along, as in the "4-3-2-1" chorus of "Barrel of a Gun." Miller continued to be the focus. At one point, he ran through the crowd with a lawn chair borrowed from an audience member before returning to the stage and lounging in the chair.

After ninety minutes of performing, Miller announced they would "fake an encore." They played two more songs, including Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."

I loved the show, but I did some searching when I returned home, and I could find no evidence online that Ryan Miller ever lived in Skokie.