Pete Francis is not very good at being a rock star. He drives an Econovan, unloads his own gear and gives his band mates plenty of chances to shine. On Saturday night at Harper’s Ferry, the former Dispatch guitarist made up for lost time in his first public performance since three sold-out nights at the Madison Square Garden.

“There’s something about the enormity of that show that was absolutely so thrilling,” Francis said from the driver’s seat of his forest green van.

The driver’s seat is where Francis seems to be most comfortable onstage, but he’s not the type to hog the radio or choose every pitstop; he constantly lets his passengers do some of the navigating, through ample opportunities at the wheel.

In fact, it wasn’t until the fifth song of the night that Francis took his first solo. During the first four songs, he genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself, stepping aside as members of his unnamed band took the spotlight.

Dressed down in jeans and a white long-sleeved T-shirt, Francis walked around the stage, smiling to the crowd of 150 Dispatch groupies and yuppies. Regardless of the large drop-off in crowd size from his Dispatch days, he seemed to appreciate where he’s at in his career.

“The fact that you can kind of, at a place like Harper’s, just get over to somebody, you know, look at them and [sic] have more of a personal vibe… I feel like I can connect with the fans and just the whole vibe is more mellow,” he said before the show.

The Harper’s Ferry show was the first of a tour to hit colleges and clubs throughout the Northeast. The Allston gig also marks the first of two Boston dates this fall: On Friday, October 19, Francis will open for Massachusetts natives Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers at the Paradise Rock Club.

Francis’s tour is in support of his forthcoming album, Iron Sea and the Calvary. On Saturday, his set list mainly consisted of new tracks from his fifth solo album in five years.

According to Francis’s biography, Iron Sea and the Calvary holds true to his signature sound, which “feels like a ride from New York City to the coast of Maine.” It features lots of easy melodies. It’s the kind of album best suited for a sunset drive along the coast.

But played live, the songs have more of a rock feel.

It wasn’t until the ninth song Saturday night, a bluesy number entitled “Train Window,” that Francis let his inner rock star take the wheel, climbing up the drum riser as he wailed on his electric guitar.

If there’s one complaint about a Pete Francis show, it’s that at times he and the band come across as formulaic. But when the formula includes a well-executed solo, the result is usually successful.

Whether it’s Madison Square Garden or something as intimate as Harper’s Ferry, Pete Francis puts his show in gear.

If you’d like to hear audio of Scott’s interview with Pete Francis, listen to “Go Time with Scotty”, Friday night from 10 PM to MIDNIGHT on WTBURADIO.ORG. Spiegel is also featured on BU in the Morning from 10 AM until Noon on Mondays.