American alternative-rock band, the Killers, has apologised for bringing a Russian drummer on stage during a show in Georgia and for describing fans as “brothers and sisters”, which prompted boos from the audience.

Georgia has a long history of tension with its northern neighbour, exacerbated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and a subsequent big influx of Russian emigrants escaping their country.

The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers was booed in a Black Sea resort in Georgia, after he introduced a Russian fan to play on stage. Credit: YouTube

The band, seven times nominated for the music industry’s Grammy Awards, performed on Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Batumi during a European tour.

In videos of the concert, frontman Brandon Flowers is seen inviting a fan from the crowd to perform. He initially asks: “This guy’s a Russian, are you ok with a Russian coming out here?” before welcoming the man to the stage and playing a song with him. Later, in response to boos from the crowd, Flowers asks “you can’t recognise if someone’s your brother ... am I not your brother?”