The Killers apologize after inviting Russian fan on stage at Georgia concert: 'We stand with you'

The Killers have apologized after inviting a Russian fan on stage to perform with them at a concert in the country of Georgia.

The rock band's decision drew a loud wave of boos and reportedly prompted some concertgoers to leave their Black Sea Arena concert early on Tuesday night. In response to the backlash, frontman Brandon Flowers asked the crowd to see the fan as their "brother," causing further outrage, reports the BBC.

Georgia and Russia have a long history of political tensions. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and continues to occupy a portion of the former Soviet republic to this day.

"Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone!" the band wrote in a social media statement on Tuesday. "We have a long-standing 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 on stage with us."

They continued, "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 have a tradition of inviting one lucky fan on stage to help them perform their 2006 hit "For Reasons Unknown." In video footage from the event shared on social media, Flowers asked the rest of the crowd if they approved of the group having a Russian audience member join them, saying, "We don't know the etiquette of this land, but this guy's a Russian. Are you okay with a Russian coming up here?"

Flowers later addressed the loud dissent from the crowd. "The borders in our countries? So that's where you want to separate it all?" he asked. "So I'm not your brother? Am I not your brother, being from America? Am I your brother? No? I'm not your brother?"

In a separate video, Flowers seemingly attempted to rectify the situation by telling the crowd — which continued to boo him and the band — that "one of the things that we have come to appreciate about being in this band is it brings people together."

He continued, "Tonight I want us to celebrate that we're here together, and I don't want it to turn ugly. And I see you as my brothers and my sisters."

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