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Zach Bryan Wears 'Free Palestine' Shirt at Gillette Stadium
Confirmed
In Short: Country singer Zach Bryan wore a 'Free Palestine' shirt during his concert at Robert Kraft's Gillette Stadium Friday night.
The timing of Bryan's statement drew attention because of the recent controversy surrounding rapper Macklemore and Ed Sheeran’s tour.
Macklemore was dropped from Sheeran’s tour after Kraft and other venue owners pressured Sheeran to remove Macklemore over his outspoken support for Palestinians.
Bryan, 30, took the stage at the Kraft-owned venue as part of his With Heaven On Tour, with fan footage of the moment quickly circulating on social media.
Members of Bryan’s band were also spotted in matching shirts, according to TMZ.
Bryan did not address the shirt from the stage during his performance.
The Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling for Bryan's removal, but it is unclear if Kraft will take similar action.
Sheeran had previously pledged $1 million from his touring earnings to Palestinian aid organizations and announced a Free Palestine Tour.
Macklemore’s Free Palestine Tour, which supports the Palestinian people and movement, is set to run from October 26 to 30 in Dublin, Paris, and London.
Bryan’s appearance at Gillette Stadium came shortly after the venue became part of a wider dispute over political expression at concerts.
Kraft has since confirmed he opposed Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium and explained his reasoning.
Bryan’s shirt choice and the band members’ matching attire highlighted the ongoing tensions surrounding political statements at concerts.
Background
Country singer Zach Bryan wore a 'Free Palestine' shirt during his concert at Robert Kraft's Gillette Stadium Friday night.
Robert Hearth Kenneth Kraft is an American businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development, and a private equity portfolio.
What's confirmed
- Macklemore later claimed that Sheeran told him Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, did not want him performing at the venue.
- The two Gillette Stadium concerts Sheeran had scheduled for September 25 and 26 were ultimately canceled because of severe weather, according to reports.
- Country singer Zach Bryan made a visible statement during his latest concert by wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt while performing at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday night.
- The country music star took the stage at the Foxborough, Mass. venue wearing a black T-shirt bearing the words “Free Palestine,” according to photos obtained by TMZ.
- Zach is playing two shows at Gillette Stadium on October 2 and 3 as part of his With Heaven On Tour, with Gregory Alan Isakov and Gabriella Rose joining him as special guests.
- Robert has also since confirmed he opposed Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium and explained his reasoning.
- Macklemore has since announced his own Free Palestine Tour, with proceeds going towards organizations supporting Palestinians.
- The timing and location are particularly headline-worthy as his shirt choice follows the recent controversy surrounding Macklemore, Ed Sheeran, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
- He also confirmed that he had spoken directly with Robert while attempting to find a resolution, while maintaining that the final decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour promoter rather than himself.
- The “Thrift Shop” rapper wore a black-and-white keffiyeh around his neck and called for “free Palestine” as he focused on the war and for “every single human being” to have freedom.
- During his opening sets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept.
What's still developing
- Photos from the performance showed Bryan wearing the black shirt, while members of his band were also reportedly seen wearing clothing featuring pro-Palestinian messages.
- Friday’s concert marked the first of Bryan’s two scheduled shows at Gillette Stadium.
- The Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling for his removal, and on Sept. 14 tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed Macklemore would no longer appear on the remaining U.S. dates after multiple NFL stadium owners reportedly threatened to pull shows if he stayed on the bill.
- Sheeran said in his own statement the following day that the removal was the promoter’s decision, not his, and that he had spoken directly with Kraft while trying to find a resolution.
- Grammy winner Zach Bryan took a pointed fashion stance at Gillette Stadium on Friday night (Oct.
- 2), wearing a black T-shirt reading “Free Palestine ” during the first of two dates on his With Heaven On Tour at the Foxborough, Mass., venue.
- Gillette Stadium is owned by the Kraft Group, led by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who weeks earlier played a central role in removing Macklemore from the remaining U.S.
- With another performance scheduled at the Massachusetts venue on Saturday night, it remains to be seen if Kraft will pull the plug.
- Opting to remain publicly neutral on the issue, Sheeran subsequently released a statement saying it was the “ promoter’s decision ” after Kraft assembled several of the tour venues to give him an ultimatum.
- She was a participant at a December 2023 “Flood Philly for Palestine” rally (a reference to the Hamas name for the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that they dubbed the “Al Aqsa flood”), at which she not only praised the mass slaughter of Jews and joined in chants calling for Jewish genocide and terrorism against Jews, but also demonstrated against a Jewish-owned restaurant in the city.
- “Free Palestine. I want those words to be clear so that people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them. This next song was inspired by the bravery of the Columbia University students, who led an encampment movement that mobilized the entire world, opening up hearts — myself included,” Macklemore said.
- “Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis,” Kraft said in a statement back in September.