The Killers Booed During Gig In Georgia After Inviting Russian On Stage

The Killers may have played their last ever show in the nation of Georgia.

During their concert at the Black Sea Arena in Batumi, Georgia Tuesday night (August 16), the Las Vegas alt-rockers welcomed a fan on stage to drum along to “For Reasons Unknown.” Well, it turns out that this drummer was also Russian. (Georgia gained independence from Soviet rule in 1991, and was later invaded by Russia in 2008. Many Russians have fled their country, seeking refuge in Georgia's capital of of Tbilisi.) Once this was announced, fans started booing the band for choosing that particular fan.

The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers didn't exactly see the Georgian audience's side, asking, "Are you finished yet, or no?" to the booing. He then tried to play peacemaker, saying “You can’t recognize that someone’s your brother? He’s not your brother? We all separate on the borders of our countries?”

That went over even worse, and the crowd's boos got stronger and fans reportedly started to walk out.

After the show, the band posted an apology on Twitter, acknowledging they didn't read the room very well.

“Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone!," the statement reads. "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 recognize 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 apologize. We stand with you and hope to return soon.”

The people of Georgia once again voiced their honest opinion. Russians will never be comfortable in this country, because we are their enemies, not their brothers and sisters.

F off @thekillers 🖕 pic.twitter.com/VkS7mBJX4Q
— Visioner (@visionergeo) August 15, 2023