The Killers got booed at a gig after they invited a Russian fan onstage to play the drums

• The Killers got booed after inviting a Russian fan onstage to play with them.
• The booing happened at a gig on Tuesday evening at the Black Sea Arena in Georgia.

The Killers invited a Russian fan onstage during a concert in Eastern Europe this week, and the crowd wasn't happy.

The band was performing at the Black Sea Arena in Georgia on Tuesday when the incident happened. During the show, The Killers invited a Russian fan onstage to play the drums. The group has a tradition of inviting their fans to perform with them.

But things went awry when frontman Brandon Flowers told the audience that the fan was from Russia.

"We don't know the etiquette of this land, but this guy's a Russian. You okay with a Russian coming up here?" Flowers was heard asking the audience in a video.

Flowers' remarks drew a flurry of boos and protests from the audience. Journalist Mariam Nikuradze posted a video of the incident on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

"After the incident, part of the audience left in protest, others boo-ed, and according to some of the people who attended the concert, The Killers left the stage without saying goodbye to the audience," Nikuradze wrote in her post.

According to other videos posted on X, Flowers responded to the audience's jeers after the song. The singer urged them to be more accepting of the Russian fan.

"You can't recognize that someone's your brother? He's not your brother? We all separate on the borders of our countries?" Flowers told the audience. "So I'm not your brother? Am I, not your brother, being from America?"

"One of the things that we have come to appreciate about being in this band is it brings people together. And tonight, I want us to celebrate that we are here together. And I don't want it to turn ugly. And I see you as my brothers and my sisters," Flowers said.

Georgia's relationship with Russia has been strained since the early 1990s. Georgia seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The country has been embroiled in territorial disputes with Russia, which culminated in an invasion by Russia in 2008. Russia now controls over 20% of Georgia's territory, per the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Killers released a statement on Tuesday saying that it was never their intention to offend anyone.

"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," the statement said.

Representatives for The Killers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.