Howard Jones was at the forefront of the spread of electronics in pop music in the ‘80s. Enough people loved his music for him to sell millions of records and notch several top-10 hits.

So to disconnect himself from that sound could be viewed as a significant risk.

Jones won that gamble Friday night at the Blue Note Hawaii with an acoustic show that offered a reminder that at his core the synthesizer pioneer is a talented pianist.

Sitting at a Yamaha grand and flanked by Robin Boult on acoustic guitar and Nick Beggs on chapman stick, Jones shook free of the trappings of music technology and put twists on some of his biggest hits. He peppered his charming 100-minute set with stories from throughout his career, detailing some of the ups and downs of being an ‘80s pop star.

Jones backloaded the night with hits but still had no problem holding the audience’s attention early on. Opening with “Pearl in the Shell” from his 1983 debut album, “Human’s Lib,” and “Assault and Battery” from his second album “Dream Into Action,” Jones showed off his piano skills with a series of impressive fills. Beggs, of the defunct British band Kajagoogoo, was a wonder to watch on the rarely seen chapman stick, and Boult, who has played with Jones for more than two decades, was sturdy on guitar.

The stripped down ensemble is what allowed Jones to make his Hawaii debut after all these years, and it also allowed him to explore new directions with some of his songs. “Don’t Always Look at the Rain” and “Things Can Only Get Better” took on jazzier vibes, the latter employing a bit of a salsa feel in its coda. “Life in One Day,” meanwhile, managed to maintain its island sound despite being stripped down. As was the case throughout the evening, the audience chimed in where backing vocalists were missing.

“Life in One Day” also provided one of the evening’s more humorous moments, as Jones introduced it by deconstructing the lyrics, mainly pointing out all the pieces of advice he’d now discard as a father of two. (“‘The future will take care of itself somehow’? Um, no.”) He added an anecdote about how he’d said some less than kind words about the flute at a recent show, only to be met by a flute teacher from the audience after.

Other self-effacing tales Jones shared included how some luck helped land him on the British music television showcase “Top of the Pops,” which helped his career take off; being left off the Band Aid single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”; and the heartbreak his backup singers suffered when his set at the global 1985 concert Live Aid was cut to one song (tempered a bit by having Pete Townsend of the Who and David Bowie drop in to watch them rehearse the trimmed “Life in One Day” backstage). He also had a funny remark about how his breakthrough single “New Song” hasn’t aged well — not because of the music, but because it’s tough to get Apple device assistant Siri to play it.

The crowd reacted most strongly to Jones’ hits, of course, but there were also some highlights among the album tracks.

Jones said he enjoys playing “Fallin’ Away,” from his 1992 album “In the Running” and delivered a particularly lovely performance. “Specialty,” which he said is often requested, was also a pleasant surprise.

Jones, Boult and Beggs have one more show in Waikiki tonight. Fans of ‘80s music especially should give it a shot, but even for those without nostalgia for the era, the affable frontman and the fine performances make for a highly delightful show.