Black Sea Arena distances itself from The Killers bringing Russian fan on stage in Georgian show
The venue said the invitation of the fan was “not the position of Black Sea Arena”, and added the organisers “understand the emotions of our visitors”. Photo: Black Sea Arena
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Black Sea Arena, a venue in Georgia's seaside town of Shekvetili that hosted a show of the American band The Killers on Tuesday, released a statement distancing itself from the incident that saw a part of the audience leave in protest after the band brought a Russian fan onto its stage to play drums.
The venue said the invitation of the fan - on the backdrop of the ongoing occupation of two of Georgia’s regions by Russia - was “not the position of Black Sea Arena”, and added the organisers “understand the emotions of our visitors”.
The statement came after lead singer Brandon Flowers was booed from the crowd for bringing the fan in question to the stage and urging the crowd to “think of each other as brothers and sisters”.
After a part of the audience left in protest, some of the music enthusiasts attending the show said The Killers had also left the stage without saying goodbye to fans.
In their own comments, the band said it was their “longstanding 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 onstage with us”.
They added the “brothers and sisters” comment had been meant to indicate friendship between the band’s listeners, and noted its context had been “misconstrued”.
The statement from Black Sea Arena - one of the organisers of the summer-long Starring Georgia campaign of bringing international music stars to the country to promote its tourism potential, economy and culture - also said the venue realised its “share of responsibility” and wished to “sincerely apologise” for the incident, adding “Russia is an occupier”.
Black Sea Arena, a concert venue in Georgia’s Black Sea town of Shekvetili, on Friday announced that as a result of consultations with the Government Administration, the scheduled concerts over the weekend would be cancelled following the tragic events in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide killed at least 13 in the Shovi resort on Thursday.
Tickets for the show of the popular American performer Bruno Mars, a headlining act for the Starring Georgia, a series of performances for promoting the country as a visitor destination, will go on sale on Tuesday, with prices ranging from ₾125-₾1,450 ($48-$556), Black Sea Arena venue announced on Monday.
The popular American singer Bruno Mars will perform on October 1 at the Dinamo Arena stadium in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi as part of Starring Georgia, a series of shows promoting the country's tourism potential and showcasing it on the map of entertainment events around the world.
Globally popular musical artists, from the French multi-instrumentalist performer FKJ to house and techno mainstay Damian Lazarus and American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, will host music enthusiasts in Georgia’s Black Sea town of Shekvetili and other locations to promote the country’s potential in tourism, economy and culture.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said it was “impossible to speak about brotherhood” between Georgians and Russians while the latter occupied Georgian regions, in comments that responded to an incident that led to the American band The Killers being booed off the stage in Georgia’s west after inviting a Russian fan onstage.
The American rock band Imagine Dragons performed in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi on Thursday night.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said Starring Georgia, a series of shows promoting the country's tourism potential and showcasing it on the map of entertainment events around the world, had been “quite successful” in its first edition this year, and pledged it would host “important, big surprises” in its 2024 programme as well.
The popular American singer Bruno Mars on Sunday performed at the Dinamo Arena stadium in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi as part of Starring Georgia, a series of shows promoting the country's tourism potential and showcasing it on the map of entertainment events around the world.