Actually, “The Killers” frontman Brandon Flowers just wanted to continue an old band tradition: to involve fans in the stage show. Unfortunately, he completely ignored the political situation between Georgians and Russians.
Brandon Flowers probably didn’t expect that. Within a few minutes he rocked the mood at a concert in Tiflies, the capital of Georgia, with an actually harmless and very beautiful band tradition. Suddenly the whole hall booed the band and numerous middle fingers pointed towards the stage. What happened?
For years, it has been customary at a “The Killers” concert to involve fans in the stage show. If you can, you get the chance to take over the drums for a song and play together with the band – as was the case recently in Tbilisi. But the band didn’t have a lucky hand when it came to choosing the fans – because they brought a Russian drummer onto the stage.
A well-intentioned gesture goes horribly wrong
But that was not enough to reach the tipping point. The boos began after singer Brandon Flowers said, “We’re all sisters and brothers, Russians and Georgians.” Because the two countries have a tense relationship and since Russia invaded Ukraine it has gotten even worse.
The Georgian journalist Mariam Nikuradze reports that the concert then came to an abrupt end. On it she wrote: “After the incident, part of the audience left the hall in protest, others booed, and according to some concertgoers, “The Killers” left the stage without saying goodbye to the audience.” In a video you can see how the band exits to loud shouts and restrained applause. The evening was over.
Shortly after the unfortunate end of the concert, the band released a statement. It says: “Dear people from Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone! We have a long tradition of inviting people to play drums with us. And it seemed that most people were okay with it this time too, that person came on stage with us tonight. We are aware that a comment intended to imply that all viewers and fans of The Killers are “brothers and sisters” could be misconstrued. We didn’t want to offend anyone and we apologize us for it. We stand by you and hope to be able to return soon.”
“The Killers” canceled concerts in Russia in 2022
It’s a little surprising that the band made this obvious mistake – because in March 2022 they canceled concerts in Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine. So you knew that there was a lot of tension in that part of the world and that anything related to Russia should be treated with extreme caution there.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
