If Melanie C. was battling nerves Friday night as she launched a brief solo promotional tour, it didn't show during her hour-plus set at New York's Irving Plaza.

And if her record label reps were battling nerves as well wondering how the Spice Girl gone solo would be received, they are probably breathing a lot easier today.

The Sporty one was greeted by a capacity crowd that brought together an odd mix of rabid Spice Girls devotees and jaded yet curious music industry folks. While the floor of Irving Plaza teemed with Spice followers clad in Union Jack face paint or Girl Power-inspired costumes, the venue's balcony was packed with journalists and industry types curious to see if Melanie's solo debut would arrive with a sufficiently Spice-like sensation or land with a Halliwellian thud.

Mel C. greeted the onlookers with a slew of brand-spanking new tracks from her upcoming solo effort, "Northern Star." While the album doesn't arrive until November 2, those who packed Irving Plaza's floor seemed more than familiar with the upcoming singles "Goin' Down" and "Northern Star" as well as "Ga Ga," a track that Mel kicked in for the "Big Daddy" soundtrack.

"Are you ready to rock? Come on then, let's do it," Chisholm enthused before launching in to the decidedly un-Spicy fuzz of "Goin' Down."

Sporting a white sleeveless "I Love New York" T-shirt, fashionably tattered jeans, and her now notorious close-cropped hairdo, Melanie gave fans a taste of what else awaits on "Northern Star," including the cuts "I Turn To You" and "If That Were Me." Mel even gave her Sporty alter ego a bit of play as she delivered a revved-up version of the Spice Girls' breakthrough hit "Wannabe."

Musical allusions aside, it was hard to forget that this was, in fact, a Spice Girl on stage. Chisholm was backed by the same core band that toured with the Spice Girls, and her stage mannerisms and gestures would have played across Giants Stadium, let alone Irving Plaza. The steady stream of loyal fans tossing flowers and stuffed animals on stage also served as a constant reminder of Mel's Sporty day job.

After lathering up the crowd with an hour-long set, Melanie and company staged a three-song acoustic encore that included a stripped-down reprise of "Goin' Down."

Friday night's New York show marked the first in a three-date promotional tour that will see Mel strut her solo stuff for industry and fans in Toronto and Los Angeles. The singer hopes to stage a more conventional tour in February.

Before Friday's show, Chisholm told MTV News that she expected the nerves she battles in her onstage duties with the Spice Girls to be twice as intense before staging her Stateside solo debut (see "Mel C. Battles Nerves As Solo Tour Kicks Off").

Chisholm had played a number of dates abroad, and the success she found at those shows put her in an optimistic frame of mind (butterflies aside) before Friday's concert.

"The crowds have been pretty cool," Chisholm told MTV News before launching the promo tour. "They've been up for it, and they've been very supportive. So fingers crossed here, but the fans are great in America. They always have been with the Spice Girls, so I just hope it follows through for my stuff." [RealVideo]

So far, that seems to be the case.

Melanie C. plays Toronto on Monday and Los Angeles on Thursday.