I still remember the first time I heard the phrase “international incident.” I was seven, my mom and I were accompanying my brother’s 14-year-old baseball team on a goodwill visit for a week of games in Cuba, and there was a kid on the team a high school coach would go on to semi-affectionately refer to as ‘Spicoli.’ There was concern that this child would cause an international incident. As far as I know, he never did, although during a long layover at the Miami Airport, when instructions were being given to not get lost, the guy’s dad asked him if he knew where he was and he said, “Yeah, Dad. I’m right here.”
Someone did cause an international incident last night in Georgia, and it was The Killers, a band many believe to be the greatest band of all time. Here’s what happened:
The Killers have been known to let fans drum for them from time to time. This happened in Austin last fall, I’ve gotten the impression it’s happened elsewhere as well. Drummers convince The Killers to allow them on stage. They generally do a good enough job. It’s fun. Last night, in Ozurgeti (oh yeah, it’s the country of Georgia, not the state, I was also confused about this), they tried it again.
Where this became a problem is not that the drummer in question was Russian, though he was. Where this became a problem is that Brandon Flowers let the crowd know he was Russian. As the video shows:
“We don’t know the etiquette of this land. This guy’s a Russian. Are you ok with a Russian coming up here?”
Uhh, no, actually we’re not, Russia is the worst neighbor ever, we had a war with them fifteen years ago and we’re probably on their list for Round 2 if they ever figure their shit out in Ukraine.
Where this then became an even bigger problem is that after receiving the negative answer, Flowers doubled down. While boos rained down and middle fingers went up and the guy took the stage, Flowers continued.
“You finished yet? Or no?”
“You can’t recognize that someone’s your brother?”
“We all separate on the borders of our countries?”
“Am I not your brother? Being from America?”
The Killers apologized publicly after the show, The Killers clarified that they were referring to the broader brotherhood of Killers fans, not the ethnic brotherhood Putin claims should unite every country he wants under the banner of Russia, but, uh, yeah. Not a great look. I do love it, though. Peace, love, and rock & roll can only go so far. If there’s a war, that’s not gonna fly.
I love Brandon Flowers’s work. I think he’s a cool guy. But it’s always funny to see someone completely underestimate just how deep-rooted and legitimate a certain feud is. I’ve been there! I ran into a guy from college a few years after school and I asked how his old best friend was doing, and he told me they’d had a falling out, and I spent the next five minutes convinced he was joking. “No, really. How’s Mike?”
It was a group conversation, too.
Very awkward.
I have not seen that man since.
I wonder if they reconciled.
