US band The Killers apologized for inviting a Russian fan on stage during a concert in Georgia and for calling their fans “brothers and sisters”, a line that drew boos from the audience, Reuters and Agerpres reported on Wednesday.

Georgia has a long history of tensions with its northern neighbor, exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent large influx of Russian emigrants fleeing the country.

The group, which has seven Grammy Award nominations, played a concert on Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Batumi as part of a European tour.

“Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone!” the band said in a message posted on its Facebook page, adding that the habit of inviting people on stage to play drums has a long tradition.

“We realize that a comment intended to suggest that all of The Killers’ audience and fans are ‘brothers and sisters’ could be misconstrued,” the band added.

The statement came in the context of frontman Brandon Flowers telling the crowd during the concert that he didn’t want the situation to get “angry”.

“I consider you my brothers and sisters,” Flowers added to boos and whistles, according to a video released by Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

In videos published on social networks, people from the hall can be seen leaving the concert to boos, Reuters notes.

Public opinion in Georgia is predominantly pro-Ukrainian.

Alternative rock group The Killers, formed in the city of Las Vegas in the early 2000s, sold millions of copies of their albums and many songs reached the top of the charts.