First, let me say that I love “Sam’s Town.” A lot. The unfussy follow-up to 2004’s mega-selling “Hot Fuss,” is nothing like its predecessor, something that has garnered the band much gratuitous negative press since its release on October 3rd. Some have called it the band’s ham-fisted attempt at trying to zig, knowing full well that the world projected a zag. I don’t see it as so much an overt attempt at trying to appear American, as it is the natural succession in a series of events evoked from actually being American. And to assume anything about this band is ham-fisted is to give them far too much credit.

I will admit that I could be wrong, but talking with Brandon Flowers before the gig left me with an overwhelming sense of his modesty and sincerity.

The band’s two chief songwriters, Flowers (grew up in Nephi, Utah) and guitarist Dave Keuning (born and raised in Pella, Iowa), seemed to approach the album with a reconnected sense of pride after wandering the world and realizing ‘this ain’t so bad.’ And if anything, “Sam’s Town” has disproved the conventional sophomore slump and solidified the band as a bona fide rock heavyweight, with longevity waiting in the seats of America’s largest arenas. Flowers understands that it’d have been easy to remake “Hot Fuss,” but it wouldn’t have been right for durability’s sake.

I urge you to give the new album a listen through headphones, from start to finish. And listen to it as an actual album, not a collection of twelve individual songs, or worse yet, singles; a custom that, alas, seems to have become increasingly lost or, at best, difficult, given digital music’s newfound disposability. I’d heard “Sam’s Town” called a concept album in the months leading up to its release, but, really, the only concept is that it’s an actual album. And, if that’s become a concept, then we’re in for a rough road ahead.

Tuesday night, The Killers were met on stage with as loud an ovation as I’ve ever heard inside the Congress Theater. Maybe second only to Korn, who may have had the place making more noise. In fact, last year when Korn played the Kongress, during their first song, “Did My Time,” chunks of the ceiling actually rattled loose and crashed down into the sea of moshing metal kids; an occurrence that either speaks volumes about the volume, or about the dingy dive’s dire need for an aesthetic facelift. Fast forward ten months, and it’s become clear that the recent Live Nation acquisition of the Congress has expedited cleanup. It didn’t look great, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad.

Flowers appeared energized with his first words, “Good evening. We’re going to play Sam’s Town for you.” It took me about ten minutes to figure out if he meant the song (which is the opening track on the album of the same name) or the entire album, especially when the next song was “Enterlude,” the second track on the disc. And he really had me guessing when the following song was “When You Were Young,” which is, indeed, the third cut on the new record.

The stage setup initially appeared limiting. It was a ruffled black, crushed-velvet curtain that hung from ceiling to floor, met at the base by four movie-set looking flood lights facing the crowd. High atop the stage, which was littered with crates and boxes straight from the O.K. Corral, was a giant, red cursive sign that read Sam’s Town. Strung between the sign and the curtains were rows of multi-colored flags; the kind you put out at a garage sale. Loads of credit to whoever was on hand, transforming the bare-bones set into something different for every song, simply wielding the power of creative lighting. In the end, it had become a truly magnificent arrangement.

Flowers, appraising the energy in the room, had everyone waiting for and expecting track four, “Bling,” but, instead, hit a grand slam with the opening fuzzed out synth of “Somebody Told Me.” It was at that moment, precisely, that the evening belonged to Brandon and his band.

To me, The Killers delivered an almost perfect mix of new and old. The only song that felt noticeably missing from “Hot Fuss,” was “On Top,” but the fact that they closed with “All These Things that I’ve Done,” seemed to make up for it. Which reminds me, they should seriously consider asking Aretha Franklin to do that song with them some night. She’d be perfect for the chorus parts.

My only complaint could be, but won’t be, is that the show was too short. They played for just over an hour, but could easily fill ninety minutes or better. Had anyone left there feeling ripped off for a short set, I might take more offense to their brevity.

Having seen the band on their last “Hot Fuss” run at the Riv, I felt that they were uninspired, tired and in way over their heads. This time around, it was a different band. The Killers seemed confident and comfortable with themselves, and with whatever lies ahead. As a frontman, Flowers has finally caught his stride. And if, on the extraordinarily off chance that he’s reading this, I may well speak for the sold-out Congress Theater when I say that, yes, we enjoyed our stay.