Tones Clash: The Killers’ Misstep with Russian Fan in Georgia
In a misguided attempt to bridge geopolitical divides, The Killers committed a serious faux pas during their recent concert in Georgia (which is also a country, not just Trump’s future mandatory home). What started as an attempt to foster unity ended in boos and walkouts when the band invited a Russian fan onstage, blissfully overlooking the lingering tensions between Georgia and Russia since the invasion of 2008.
Brandon Flowers still deserves credit. It must be hard for someone so tone-deaf to write and perform music. Watch a clip of the incident below:
#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
Background: Georgia-Russia Relations
Since the Russo-Georgian War 2008, relations between Georgia and Russia have remained strained and complex. Many Georgians harbor strong resentment towards Russia, a sentiment that The Killers seemingly underestimated during their concert at the Black Sea Arena.
Check out Todd Nuke’em’s interview with Brandon Flowers.
The Incident: Unity Turned Ugly
As they brought the Russian fan onstage, The Killers’ lead singer, Brandon Flowers, cheerfully proclaimed to the crowd that they were all “brothers and sisters.” He further stated, “We don’t know the etiquette of this land, but this guy’s a Russian. You OK with a Russian coming up here?” The chorus of “no”s and boos rang out, and the atmosphere grew tenser.
After a song, Flowers attempted to further his point, saying, “You can’t recognize if someone’s your brother? He’s not your brother? We all separate on the borders of our countries?” His attempt to champion the unifying ethos of Christianity fell flat, and he was forced to admit, “I don’t want it to turn ugly. And I see you as my brothers and my sisters.”
The Apology: Damage Control
The Killers quickly issued an apology on social media:
“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 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 Killers (@thekillers) August 15, 2023
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