Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” T-shirt during his concert at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on Friday 2 October, weeks after Macklemore was barred from performing at the same venue following his pro-Palestinian comments.
Bryan was performing the first of two scheduled shows at the Foxborough stadium as part of his With Heaven On Tour. The venue is owned by the Kraft Group, led by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Zach Bryan wears Free Palestine shirt onstage
Bryan wore a black T-shirt with white lettering reading “Free Palestine”. The shirt also featured a pine tree and the words “Appeal to Heaven”, imagery associated with an American Revolutionary War-era flag.
Bryan did not address the shirt from the stage, but its appearance drew attention because of the recent controversy surrounding Macklemore and the venue.
Bryan’s guitarist Noah Le Gros also wore a Palestine football shirt during the concert and later shared a photograph of himself wearing it in front of a Kraft Sports and Entertainment sign at the stadium.
Macklemore was barred from Gillette Stadium
The moment came several weeks after Macklemore was removed from the remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following pro-Palestinian remarks he made during a September concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Macklemore had been scheduled to perform at Gillette Stadium on 25 and 26 September. Robert Kraft subsequently confirmed that the venue would not host the rapper, citing Macklemore’s recent performances and what Kraft described as a broader history of rhetoric and imagery that he believed had been offensive to the Jewish community.
Macklemore, meanwhile, said Kraft and other stadium owners had pressured Sheeran to remove him from the tour.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners. And collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Kraft did not directly address Macklemore’s claim about other stadium owners.
Ed Sheeran addresses the controversy
Sheeran has said that the decision to remove Macklemore from the remaining US shows was not his, while also addressing his own position on the conflict.
At a concert in Philadelphia on 19 September, Sheeran said:
“I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics.”
He subsequently described the events in Israel on 7 October and the situation in Gaza in strongly critical terms, saying that what happened at the music festival was horrific while describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate”.
Kraft addressed the controversy on 17 September, saying:
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.”
He also pointed to his work supporting initiatives involving Palestinians and Israelis and said his aim was to oppose antisemitism and hate.
Macklemore launches Free Palestine tour
Following his removal from Sheeran’s tour, Macklemore announced a series of European shows under the name Free Palestine Tour.
The Dublin, Paris and London concerts are scheduled for 26, 29 and 30 October respectively, with Macklemore saying proceeds will go to organisations supporting Palestinians. The shows sold out shortly after tickets went on sale.
Macklemore also announced that he would donate his $1 million earnings from Sheeran’s tour to six organisations working to support Palestinians and challenged Kraft to match the donation.
Bryan’s Gillette Stadium appearance now adds another high-profile artist moment to the ongoing debate around political expression at major concert venues.
