The Killers issue an apology after telling Georgia audience to call Russian fan ‘brother’
They were coming off the stage — but to paraphrase one of their most popular songs, they were not “doing just fine.”
The Killers issued an apology Wednesday after pulling a Russian audience member onstage during a tour stop in the country of Georgia — and asking the audience to declare him their “brother.”
In the statement that was posted to X (formerly Twitter), the band claimed that they “did not mean to upset anyone and apologize.”
Towards the end of the show, the band invited the Russian concertgoer onstage.
“We don’t know the etiquette of this land but this guy’s a Russian,” said lead singer Brandon Flowers, 42, in a social media clip. “You OK with a Russian coming up here?”
The “Mr. Brightside” crooner’s remark was met with mixed reactions with several fans booing and cheering.
According to the clip, the band called on the man to play the drums while they performed their 2006 hit “For Reasons Unknown.”
Fans of the Las Vegas group report that Flowers has done this on several occasions during the band’s worldwide “Imploding the Mirage” world tour.
“You can’t recognize if someone’s your brother? He’s not your brother,” shouted Flowers following the song. “We all separate on the borders of our countries? I’m not your brother? Am I not your brother, being from America?”
Flowers then touted that the band had the ability to “bring people together,” then adding, “Tonight, I want us to celebrate that we’re here together, and I don’t want it to turn ugly.”
“I see you as my brothers and my sisters,” continued the singer before introducing the next song.
According to several local media reports, the band’s comments sparked massive walkouts from the crowd.
A rep for the band declined to comment.
In a statement on X released mere hours after the fiasco, the band issued a formal apology to those who were offended by the comments.
“Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone,” read the statement. “We have a long-standing tradition of inviting people to play drums and it seemed from the stage that the initial response from the crowd indicated that they were okay with tonight’s audience participation member coming on-stage with us.”
“We recognize that a comment, meant to suggest that all of The Killers’ audience and fans are ‘brothers and sisters’, could be misconstrued,” continued the statement. “We did not mean to upset anyone and apologize. We stand with you and hope to return soon.”
In 1991, the country broke ties with the Soviet Union and had an uneasy truce with the world power until 2008, when the Kremlin to decided to invade and occupy nearly 20% of the country.
Tensions between the two have since escalated after Russia decided to invade Ukraine, one of Georgia’s allies, last year.
Since then, many Russian migrants have found themselves to be the targets of constant harassment.
Georgia’s Minister of Defence Davit Kezerashvili issued his own statement following the incident.
“It’s not hard to see how a touring American rock band could have unwittingly upset local sentiment on what is a complex issue for many outside the country to understand,” said Kezerashvili. “For a start, a huge disconnect exists between the attitudes of ordinary Georgians and their current government when it comes to Russia. While the Georgian public believes their future lies with the West, their leaders increasingly lean towards Moscow.”
Kezerashvili, 44, added that many Georgians were appalled when the government failed to impose sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine and were infuriated when they were told they might lose citizenship should they choose to fight on the front lines.
“People are naturally disturbed at the growing influence of the Kremlin in Georgia’s government,” said Kezerashvili. “And there is the nagging suspicion among many that Vladimir Putin is taking over the country by stealth.”
The minister concluded his statement by noting that the reaction at the concert “perfectly illustrates these concerns.”
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