"American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta [ tickets ] is a changed man. Long gone is the tentative Boy Scout who seemed unsure of himself on the television show and during his subsequent North American tour with the rest of the Top 10 finalists. That outing, along with his current club jaunt--which hit Tempe, AZ's Marquee Theatre on Monday (March 16)--have allowed him to come into his own as a performer.

At the Marquee show, Archuleta showed a new side, rocking to the chorus of "A Little Too Not Over You," pointing at the audience of mostly pre-teen girls and bending down to shake hands with some of them. When the "American Idols Live" tour kicked off in Glendale, AZ, last summer, he merely stayed put, mostly behind a piano.

After a set by Irish rocker Leslie Roy, Archuleta burst on stage to screams, signs and flashbulbs to sing "Touch My Hand." He bounced to the beat and waved to his crowd of screaming girls, who no doubt were hoarse by night's end.

"There's such an incredible energy here," Archuleta said. "It's amazing. This is fun. Wow, I can't believe it," he added with the gee-whiz attitude that got him so far on "American Idol." He then squatted down while his drummer took a picture of him with the screaming crowd behind him.

"This is so great," Archuleta said. "Oh my gosh." Archuleta took the time to warn fans not to squish audience members in the front of the standing-room-only club reserved for rock and alt-rock shows.

In addition to playing almost his entire album ,"Crush," save for the cover of Robbie Williams' "Angels," Archuleta sang bonus tracks available on various formats, including Walmart and iTunes exclusives. A teenage couple slow danced to "Somebody Out There," available only to preorders on iTunes. Before "Works for Me!" a Walmart bonus track, Archuleta admitted he's a typical confused teenager at age 18.

"I'm always spacey and I'm an airhead, but it worked out for me," Archuleta said to a chorus of giggles.

Archuleta showed his vocal chops singing "My Hands," adding an a cappella ending. He also performed an unreleased track, a club-worthy "Zero Gravity."

He sang a medley of U2's "One," Des'ree's "You Gotta Be," Sarah Bareilles' "Love Song" and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours." He also performed "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi's song "To Be With You."

Originally slated to close the show with his first hit single, "Crush," the singer came out for a curtain call to a chorus of cheers. He then finished on the keyboard with Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles," which he said was the first song he learned to play.