The last time Brandon Flowers played here, he, along with his cronies from The Killers, arrived on stage an hour late to a frenzied crowd at Marlay Park.

Two years on, things are running a little differently. His punctuality remains far from flawless,  (forty minutes spent combing his hair, probably), he cuts a lonely figure on the stage as he presents ‘The Desired Effect’ to a ravenous crowd.

Opening album track Dreams Come True, a huge showy pop belter with lots of brass and sass, gets proceedings under way. Unfortunately, the backing track is so overwhelming at times that Flowers’ vocal get swallowed up in the jubilant noise.

He comes back strong on leading single Can’t Deny My Love, and works well with his backing singers, producing some serious harmonies. It becomes obvious that the set list is 100% catered to fans both old and new, of himself or just The Killers – why else would he putting all his cards on the table so early on?

Crossfire receives a rapturous reaction from the audience, rearing for him as he performs.

“You’re too good to me,” he says with his signature Nevada drawl. With any crowd interaction, he comes across as bashful and nervous, but still eager to please.

“I miss you when I’m not here. I have these dreams where I’m in Dublin playing, and here I am.”

The showman version of Flowers’ is never too fair away, mind, as he proves during Magadelena. He delivers a powerhouse performance: one of those blissful moments when the performer and the crowd are perfectly in sync.

This is one of many ‘Flamingo’ tracks he performs – a surprise admittedly, given the album’s poor critical reception, but a good one nonetheless. Hard Enough struggles to make an impact live though due to the absence of Stevie Nicks and an increasingly rowdy crowd.

Flowers then offers an acoustically beautiful and stripped-back Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, admitting he loves reworking old Killers tracks on the road . It almost sounds like it’s taken from a Spaghetti Western. He struggles with the higher register here, but that’s what the crowd is for.

Read My Mind, on the other hand, is delivered as is, and almost as if his bandmates are there with him.

The difference between his two solo albums is especially highlighted in his performances. Lonely Town is an 80s movie soundtrack wet dream – a glossy synth soundscape. On the contrary, Only The Young is restrained and delicate.

Mr. Brightside comes in the form of an EDM-esque remix, which the crowd eats up. He seems reluctant to sing at times, but this is not something that even registers with the giddy gig-goers.

Flowers delivers a fun encore in second single Still Want You, and proceeds to up the ante with I Can Change. Vocally faultless, he performs as if his life depended on it – or at least his solo career.

Ain’t That The Way is a lyrical wonder, but is an odd song to finish on instrumentally due to its sad, lacklustre accompanying synth and church organ. There are a few boos for the bum note of the night – it’s not nearly poor enough to put a dampener on an otherwise solid show.

Recently, Flowers said that ‘The Desired Effect’ is the album The Killers should have released in 2006. However, it is hard to imagine the album faring well at any other time, other than now, a time when mainstream music is having a ‘moment’, and pop music is appreciated critically. In 2006, it probably wouldn’t have been taken seriously.

Maybe the Flowers’ effect desired was to demonstrate how masterfully he commands a variety of genres.  The performances, thankfully, are not as over-produced as the majority of the new album is, with Flowers demonstrating his raw talent as a musician, re-shaping old tracks for the live circuit.

Despite his sweaty palms and the quiver in his voice, Flowers proved not only to the listeners – but himself – that he is not just ‘the singer from The Killers’.