Invite Russian Spectators To Concert Stage In Georgia, The Killers Mocked: This Is Their Apology

JAKARTA - The Killers apologized after being ridiculed for inviting a Russian fan on stage at a concert in Georgia on the evening of August 15.

The Killers, who appeared at the Black Sea Arena in Batumi, invited a man to play drums with them while performing the song For Reasons Unknown.

It is common knowledge that there is a long history of tension between Georgia and Russia after Russia invaded the country in 2008, where Russia still occupies 20 percent of Georgia.

Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine last year, there has been an influx of Russians into Georgia, where some Russians face retaliatory attacks, The Guardian reports.

Introducing fans, band frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd: "We don't know the ethics of this country, but this guy is Russian. You're fine with the Russians who came here? before he was greeted with ridicule from the audience.

After the song, Flowers talked about the incident, when he asked the crowd: "You can't recognize whether someone is your brother? He's not your brother? We're all separate at the border of our country?... Aren't I your brother, who comes from America?

Flowers continued, urging the audience to celebrate "that we are here together". "I don't want it to turn bad. And I see you guys as my brothers," he added.

Despite continuing the rest of the concerts, a number of fans reportedly left the venue as a form of their protest.

#Russia|n drummer at The Killers concert spoke about the Russian-#Georgia|n "friendship", which caused public protests pic.twitter.com/bVf7TMrFFw

— Mtavari TV (@MtavariChannel) August 15, 2023

#Russian drummer at The Killers concerned speech about the Russian-#Georgian "friendship", which causes public protests pic.twitter.com/bVf7TMrFFw

After the concert, The Killers issued an apology statement saying "they didn't mean to disappoint anyone".

Good Georgians, we never meant to offend anyone!, The Killers wrote.

We have an old tradition of inviting people to play drums and it seems from the stage that the early response from the audience shows they are doing well with the participation of spectators tonight who come on stage with us.

We recognize that a comment, which is meant to state that all audiences and fans of The Killers are 'brothers and sisters', can be misinterpreted. We don't mean to disappoint anyone and we apologize. We support you and hope to be back soon."

pic.twitter.com/mfuAf2I8xb

— The Killers (@thekillers) August 15, 2023

pic.twitter.com/mfuAf2I8xb