The Killers apologise to Georgian fans after singer Brandon Flowers invites Russian man onstage to play drums

16 August 2023, 14:13

The Killers have said sorry for inviting a Russian fan onstage during a performance in Georgia.

Singer Brandon Flowers brought the man on to play drums during a show in Batumi, a Black Sea resort town.

Georgia has a troubled relationship with Russia since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Seemingly unaware of the animosity, Flowers invited the Russian fan on stage to help them perform their 2006 track For Reasons Unknown. The band often ask fans onstage to play the drums during live shows.

In footage shared on social media, Flowers is heard saying: "We don't know the etiquette of this land but this guy's a Russian.

"You OK with a Russian coming up here?"

After the performance, which was met with a resounding chorus of boos, Flowers said: "You can't recognise if someone's your brother? He's not your brother?

"Am I not your brother, being from America?"

He later added: "One of the things we have come to appreciate being in this band is it brings people together and tonight I want us to celebrate that we're here together and I don't want it to turn ugly.

"And I see you as my brothers and my sisters."

In a statement posted on Twitter after the performance, the Killers said: "Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone!

"We have a longstanding 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 onstage with us.

"We recognise that a comment, meant to suggest that all of the Killers' audience and fans are 'brothers and sisters,' could be misconstrued.

"We did not mean to upset anyone and we apologise. We stand with you and hope to return soon."

In 2008, the Kremlin sent troops to invade the region of South Ossetia, and has continued to occupy it ever since.

Russia also has troops in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.

It is unclear how many Russians live in Georgia, but the figure is thought to be higher than 100,000. The number has risen since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when many Russians fled their own country.