BOONE — Garrison Keillor must have fortified himself  earlier with some Powdermilk Biscuits because this self-proclaimed “shy person” had the strength to get up and do what needed to be done during his April 16 show at Appalachian State University.

Indeed, the host of public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion” from fictional Lake Wobegone, Minn. (but actually from St. Paul, Minn.), came, saw and easily conquered a crowd of about 2,000 people in ASU’s Holmes Convocation Center.

His new show, “An Evening With Garrison Keillor: A Brand New Retrospective,” is based on Keillor, at age 70, reliving the good times — and the music that brings it all back, including hymns, jingles, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, pop tunes, limericks, rock ‘n’ roll, Beethoven, love sonnets, rags, blues and rousers.

Keillor is America’s closest current approximation to Mark Twain — and his show was fueled by his  rumbling barritone singing and soothing, folksy storytelling. This was clearly billed as something other than “A Prairie Home Companion,” but for me it was still hard to see a Keillor show with no “Dusty & Lefty: The Lives of the Cowboys” and “Guy Noir, Private Eye.”

Keillor was joined on stage by vocalist Christine DiGiallonardo and backed by two highly skilled keyboardists, Richard Dworsky and Rob Fisher. (Dworsky leads The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band on “A Prairie Home Companion.”)

From the start of his retrospective show, it was obvious that Keillor was among fans — perhaps many of whom are English majors just like him, reveling in his witticisms, wordplay and poignant stories. The applause was strong and steady throughout the show, capped by a thunderous standing ovation at the end.

The evening began with lively performances by two local bands, The Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys, led by Joe Shannon; and the Forget-Me-Nots. The latter group which featured David Finck sitting in a chair strumming a guitar, while three comely young women — two of whom are his daughters — charmed the crowd with their virtuosity on their fiddles, playing Celtic music. The  fiddlers included Willa Finck, Maura Shawn Scanlin and Ledah Finck.

Forty-five minutes into the show, Keillor finally came out and stood near the center of the Holmes arena, far from the stage, leading several sing-alongs with the crowd. Featured were a number of well-known gospel and patriotic songs, including “Amazing Grace.” While I wasn’t thrilled  to hear the crowd’s singing, most of those in attendance seemed delighted to have the opportunity to belt out songs with their beloved Keillor.

Eventually, Keillor made his way to the stage, where his pinstriped gray suit, accented by a bright-red tie and matching running shoes, made for a clownish effect.

His fellow vocalist, DiGiallonardo, inexplicably was dressed in casual slacks and a nondescript sweater, looking more appropriate to make a late-night grocery run to Wal-Mart than to add any much-needed fashion flair as counterpoint to Keillor.

Highlights included duets Keillor sang with DiGiallonardo and a number of the colorful stories, especially of Keillor’s youth and the crushing pain of being jilted by beautiful young women he dated. To the audience’s great amusement, Keillor occasionally expressed regret in his shyness with women in his youth, repeatedly expressing the sentiment that he should have been a tad bit more aggressive.

Beyond the time-consuming sing-alongs and DiGiallonardo’s drab attire, there was not much to fault in this excellent show ... other than that there was no special recognition by Keillor of the legacy of Doc Watson of Deep Gap (near Boone).

Watson, who died on May 29, 2012 at age 89, is widely recognized for blending his traditional Appalachian folk music roots with blues, country, gospel, and bluegrass to create his unique style and expansive repertoire. Blind from infancy, Watson was considered one of the world’s most accomplished flat-pickers.

For ASU’s upcoming An Appalachian Summer Festival, among the featured performers are The Band Perry (at the outdoor fireworks concert,at Kidd Brewer Stadium) at 7:30 p.m. July 6; Boz Scaggs at 8 p.m. July 20; Lyle Lovett at 8 p.m. July 27; and Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega at 8 p.m. Aug. 1.