As the only community radio station in central Maine, WERU-FM finds itself trying to hold out against a deluge of commercial stations.

So it’s only natural that the headliner for WERU’s 14th birthday party was Midnight Oil, the activist Aussie band that’s long been a supporter of underdogs.

Midway through the 75-minute show, charismatic front man Peter Garrett even took time out to urge audience members to join or financially support community radio.

“Reject the ideology of the big, booming rock station,” he added.

The quintet treated the 450 in attendance at the Maine Center for the Arts to a 16-song journey through its 25-year career. The band opened its 2002 U.S. tour in support of its new “Capricornia” album in Orono and its members seemed energized by the warm welcome they received.

The bald, gangly Garrett was a mesmerizing sight. The imposing lead singer would launch himself about the stage, often scattering his mates in his wake. His arms flailed about as he stalked around. His stream-of-consciousness patter, not always intelligible, would serve to propel the band into the next song.

He was ably supported by guitarists Martin Rotsey and Jim Moginie, bassist Bones Hillman and drummer Rob Hirst, both instrumentally and vocally. Their long years together have honed them into a very tight unit.

As expected, Midnight Oil played about half of “Capricornia,” recently released in the states on the Liquid 8 label.

But they also dipped extensively into their catalog. In fact, it was an older song, “Blue Sky Mine,” that brought audience members to their feet, where most remained for the second half of the concert. Not surprisingly, that song, along with “Beds Are Burning,” the group’s biggest stateside hits, garnered the most enthusiastic responses during the evening. Once motivated, the crowd reacted by dancing and singing along, an unusual sight in the oft-staid Hutchins Concert Hall.

The band exited the stage after “Forgotten Years,” returning for an encore of “Tone Poem” and “Dream World.” Then they were off for good, leaving the crowd wanting more.

In a perfect world, Midnight Oil should enjoy the success that their fellow politically oriented band, U2, has gained. Surely, the fact that Ja Rule, Linkin Park and Creed rule the airwaves while listeners hunt in vain for Midnight Oil is surely another sign of the apocalypse.