The Killers, a well-known rock band from Las Vegas, tours extensively. One of the last performances of the authors of the hit “Somebody Told Me” took place at the Black Sea Arena near the Georgian port city of Batumi. Everything was going according to plan until the band was about to play “Reasons Unknown”.
The Killers outraged fans at a concert in Georgia. They invited a Russian to the stage
According to tradition, the composition is played together with The Killers at concerts by one of the band’s fans. The musicians invite the lucky guy on stage, and he sits behind the drums and can perform in front of thousands of listeners. The scenario of the Georgian concert was no different. However, this time the leader of the group Brandon Flowers did not think through his decision in choosing a musician.
“I don’t know the rules of this country, but this guy is Russian. You don’t mind if a Russian comes here?” Flowers asked enthusiastically. To his surprise, the public had many objections. People started booing and screaming. Some of the people gathered in front of the stage immediately left the room.
The reaction of the audience, however, did not give the musician anything to think about, he decided to delve into the topic. Flowers appealed to his Georgian fans to accept the Russian “as their own brother”. “We divide as the borders of our countries divide us? I am not your brother, because I come from America?” he asked, probably not very familiar with Georgian history.
Since the country gained independence in 1991, the situation between Georgia and Russia has been extremely tense. In 2008, the Russians invaded Georgia. The war caused 158,000 inhabitants to leave their homes. In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Russian Federation should pay Georgia EUR 129 million in reparations in connection with, among others, with 23,000 disabled Georgians to return home, the death of civilians and the torture of prisoners of war.
“In another country it would be okay, but not here.” The Killers apologize for concert in Georgia
“The band came to Georgia and they didn’t even realize what was going on here and for whom they were performing,” Ramaz Samkharadze, the owner of one of the local radio stations that removed all The Killers songs from the playlists, commented to the BBC. This is a gesture of support for those who felt affected by the events at the concert.
One of the resident of Tbilisi, Mariam Chargazia, asked by a BBC journalist about her impressions of The Killers’ performance, admitted that she came out of the bad event. She noted that the team should show respect to people who are currently struggling with fear of the threat from Russia, and this applies to the majority of Georgians. “In another country it would be okay, but in Georgia today you can’t say that Georgians and Russians are brothers and sisters,” Mariam points out.
Fears of aggression from Russia have not left the inhabitants of Georgia since 2008. The anxiety was compounded by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At that time, many Russians fled to Georgia to avoid conscription.
The Killers, after the events at the concert, published a statement on their social media, in which they assured that they did not want to offend anyone with their performance. They stressed that they already realized the mistake they made. “We didn’t mean to make anyone sad or upset, we’re sorry. We are with you and hope to see you soon,” the post reads.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
