August 28th 2023.
The Killers recently experienced backlash from fans after inviting a Russian fan on stage at a gig in neighbouring Georgia. Singer Brandon Flowers admitted he had ‘no idea’ that his words could be interpreted as ‘being pro-Russian occupation’.
In a recent interview, Flowers shared his regrets regarding the incident. He said, “I had to calm an impossible situation. We want our concerts to be communal and I had no idea words I was taught my entire life to represent a unity of the human family could be taken as being pro-Russian occupation. We’re sad how this played out.”
The band posted a statement to their social media following the gig. It 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.”
Joe Stanley, who is half English and half Georgian, attended the gig on August 15. He told The Agency, “This is the first concert of The Killers in Georgia, and I don’t think they grasped the geopolitical tensions in the region – the audience was a mix of Russians, many of who are now in Batumi, and Georgians at the venue. Almost half the concert walked out and boos accompanied every other song. A number of people did stay though, and the concert closed out like normal.”
The Killers had a successful performance at Reading And Leeds Festival this bank holiday weekend, inviting a fan on stage to play the drums with them. This gesture serves as a reminder of the band’s commitment to unifying their audience and fans.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
