ASBURY PARK, N.J. -- There was nothing remarkable about the atmosphere at the Saint nightclub Wednesday night.

The place was far from full. The stage was all but empty. The crowd was quiet and focused.

It was the man onstage, former Alarm singer Mike Peters, who gave life to the club for a few hours.

Standing alone with his acoustic guitar and a harmonica, and towering above his sequencer, which lay on the floor in front of him, he put on a show that turned an ordinary night into an unforgettable evening. His performance was nothing much to look at, but it was everything to listen to, as his strong and resounding vocals displayed a power that reverberated even as he left the stage.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Peters told the crowd of about 50 fans, who fit easily into a space large enough for three times as many people.

Peters started off the night with the Alarm nugget "Marching On." The crowd, a collection of obvious die-hards, greeted the choice with audible glee, as Peters seemed to be easing his following back into things. For the next 120 minutes, Peters proceeded to show the people something of what he has become, deftly mixing trip-hop with melodic rock and doing it all by himself.

Back in the mid-'80s, the Alarm vocalist and guitarist had to deal with numerous comparisons to U2 lead singer Bono. The Alarm's grandiose, politically charged rock anthems certainly brought to mind U2's early punk-style.

So maybe it's not surprising that the same ambient, atmospheric haze of techno and borderline trip-hop that U2 embrace on their latest records is quite similar to the sound of Peters' latest album, Rise.

What is surprising, however, is how the Welsh-born Peters is presenting his new music on his "Interactive Acoustic Works Tour." The performance went down as advertised, interactive and stripped-down, with Peters playing solo and mostly acoustic.

Throughout the set, Peters sifted through requests pulled from his website, reading the comments that accompanied them and looking into the crowd to locate the lucky fan.

"Ground Zero" from Rise recalled Peters' songwriting in the Alarm: dramatic, yet heartfelt and sincere. "I was looking for a way out," he bellowed, his hair drifting into his eyes. "All I found was a way back in."

On another new song, a collaboration with ex-Cult guitarist Billy Duffy called "In Circles," Peters adopted a Beatles-like vocal effect. In fact, "Wasting Land," "My Calling" and the title track from the new album all revealed Peters' obvious fascination with the Fab Four. But that connection was most evident on "Transcendental," which was accompanied by a sequencer that broadcast a track of brooding, psychedelic noise.

"I would paint the sky a purple shade," Peters sang, recalling the smooth yet heartfelt vocals of Paul McCartney. "Dye the blue sea black, spray the clouds in tangerine, make the trees electric blue for you, all for you."

The best audience-reactions of the night were saved for Peters' lean interpretations of Alarm numbers.

"The Stand," with its shrill harmonica bridge and resounding chorus, sounded as strong acoustically as the original. "Rain In The Summertime" was tranquil and sweet, as was the unplugged take on "Elvis In Folklore," the original B-side to the band's "Rescue Me" single.

Peters later wowed the crowd with "Hwylio Dros y Mor," a retooled Welsh version of "A New South Wales."

The most surprising moment of the night, however, was an acoustic version of "The Day The Ravens Left The Tower," an Alarm cut from 1988. "This is based on the folklore of the Tower of London," Peters explained, "and how, if the ravens leave the tower, England falls. But what they don't tell you is that their wings are clipped, so they're not going anywhere."

It all made sense to longtime Alarm fan Chris Rake.

"Mike's gift is that he can write intensely personal songs, yet they don't come across as corny," the 26-year-old Rake said. "His sincerity and feelings always come through. He writes from books, folklore and everything he sees and feels."

Solo in the spotlight, Peters proved to be an effective solo performer, choosing substance over style. And with the electronic sound of his latest song, "Rise," which was released Tuesday, he may advance his career along the way.

In the meantime, though, Peters is performing for old Alarm fans, who allow him to showcase his new works, plus works-in-progress like the evening's poppy choice, "Kaleidoscope."

Halfway through one song, he stopped in his tracks and asked to start over.

"I wouldn't get away with this on 'Saturday Night Live,' " he quipped.

Surely not. But, then again, who cares?