The Killers. Rob Verhorst/Redferns
The Killers issued an apology for inviting a Russian fan on stage throughout their live performance in Georgia amid the respective international locations’ ongoing political stress.
“Good folks of Georgia, it was by no means our intention to offend anybody!” the band — comprised of Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and Mark Stoermer — wrote in an announcement through Twitter on Tuesday, August 15. “Now we have a long-standing custom of inviting folks to play drums, and it appeared from the stage that the preliminary response from the gang indicated that they had been OK with tonight’s viewers participation member approaching stage with us.”
The group continued: “We acknowledge {that a} remark, meant to recommend that all the Killers’ viewers and followers are ‘brothers and sisters,’ might be misconstrued. We didn’t imply to upset anybody, and we apologize. We stand with you and hope to return quickly.”
Whereas on stage on the Black Sea Enviornment in Shekvetili, Georgia, on Monday, August 15, frontman Flowers, 42, invited a concertgoer to come back up and play the drums of their music “For Causes Unknown.” The second is a practice on the band’s reveals.
“We don’t know the etiquette of this land however this man’s a Russian. You OK with a Russian developing right here?” Flowers requested the viewers, who responded with a mixture of cheers and boos, in keeping with BBC.
The musician, for his half, rallied across the fan on the time and referred to him as “brother” — a time period which drew main backlash.
“You possibly can’t acknowledge if somebody’s your brother? He’s not your brother?” he stated, per the outlet. “All of us separate on the borders of our international locations? Am I, not your brother, being from America?”
The remark drew boos from the gang and several other concertgoers exited the venue, BBC reported. Flowers then urged the viewers to take solace within the truth “that we’re right here collectively” and he didn’t need the night time to “flip ugly.” He ended his speech by telling the viewers he sees all of them as his “brothers” and “sisters.”
Georgia and Russia have confronted political stress over time. In 2008, Russia invaded Georgia — which gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 — and nonetheless occupies a portion of the previous Soviet state to this present day. Tensions have grown much more tumultuous since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, whereas the folks of Georgia stay pro-Ukraine.
