The Killers issue an apology after Brandon Flowers was booed by crowd in Georgia for bringing a Russian fan on stage and calling him ‘brother’
The Killers apologize after Brandon Flowers was booed by the Georgia crowd for bringing a Russian fan on stage and calling him “brother”
The Killers have apologized after Brandon Flowers told an audience in Georgia that a Russian fan was their “brother.”
The band was booed towards the end of their show in Batumi on Tuesday after inviting a man to play drums with them during ‘For Reasons Unknown’ near the end of the show.
They revealed to the mob in the former Soviet state that he was from the neighboring country, which invaded them in 2008.
In video footage circulating online, Brandon said to a mixture of cheers and boos, “We don’t know the etiquette of this country, but this man is Russian. Do you mind if a Russian arrives?’
After the song, the 42-year-old singer was again booed when he brought up the subject a second time.
Apologize: The Killers have apologized after Brandon Flowers told an audience in Georgia that a Russian fan was their ‘brother’
He said, ‘You can’t recognize if someone is your brother? Isn’t he your brother? We all secede at the borders of our countries? … Am I not your brother, who comes from America?’
Brandon urged the audience to celebrate “we’re here together.”
He added, “I don’t want it to get ugly. And I see you as my brothers and my sisters.’
Mariam Nikuradze, a Georgian journalist, claimed that fans left after the song, and while the band finished their set, they did not say goodbye to the audience at the end of the show.
Following the outcry, the band issued a statement apologizing and insisting it had not been the intention to offend anyone.
They wrote on their official social media accounts: ‘Dear people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone!
“We have a long tradition of inviting people to play the drums and it seemed from the stage that the initial response from the audience indicated that they were okay with tonight’s audience member joining us on stage.
“We recognize that a comment intended to imply that the entire audience and fans of the Killers are ‘siblings’ may be misinterpreted. It was not our intention to upset anyone and we apologise. We stand behind you and hope to return soon.’
Russia has occupied 20% of Georgian territory since the 2008 invasion.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine last year, many Russian citizens have made their way to the safety of Georgia, which gained independence from the Soviet government in 1991, but some have faced setbacks there.
Furious fans: The band was booed towards the end of their show in Batumi on Tuesday after inviting a man to play drums with them during ‘For Reasons Unknown’ near the end of the show
In video footage circulating online, Brandon said to a mixture of cheers and boos, “We don’t know the etiquette of this country, but this man is Russian. Do you mind if a Russian arrives?’
They said in the post, which was shared on their official social media accounts, “Dear people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone!”
The Killers are an American rock band formed in 2001 in Las Vegas by Brandon (vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals).
After going through a number of short term bass players and drummers in their early days, both Mark Stoermer (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion) joined the band in 2002.
The Killers have released seven studio albums, each reaching number one in the UK Albums Chart.
They have performed in over 50 countries and on six continents, headlining venues such as Madison Square Garden, Wembley Stadium and Glastonbury Festival.