Zach Bryan wears ‘Free Palestine’ shirt at Gillette Stadium

• Country star Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” shirt during his Friday concert at Gillette Stadium, owned by Robert Kraft.
• The appearance came weeks after Kraft was involved in the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour over his pro-Palestinian remarks.

Country music star Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” shirt while performing at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday, placing the message at the center of another high-profile concert moment.

Bryan, 30, wore a black shirt displaying the words “Free Palestine” alongside “An appeal to heaven” and a pine tree logo. Several members of his backing band also wore shirts carrying similar messages.

The concert was the first of two scheduled appearances by Bryan at Gillette Stadium, which is owned by billionaire Robert Kraft. The timing drew attention because of Kraft’s recent involvement in a dispute over rapper Macklemore’s participation in Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour.

Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s US tour after making pro-Palestinian remarks during a September performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he shouted “Free Palestine” and performed his song “Hind’s Hall.”

Macklemore later said several venues had indicated they would not allow him to perform as part of the tour. Kraft subsequently said Gillette Stadium had determined that Macklemore’s participation would not be appropriate, citing what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.

Macklemore rejected the conflation of criticism of ‘Israel’ and support for Palestine with antisemitism, while acknowledging that antisemitism is real.

Sheeran has said the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the promoter and venues rather than by him. Several other supporting acts subsequently withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

Bryan’s appearance at the same stadium with a “Free Palestine” message has since drawn widespread attention online. Neither Kraft nor Gillette Stadium had immediately issued a public response to Bryan’s shirt, according to local reports.

Macklemore has since announced a three-date “Free Palestine” tour in Europe and pledged $1 million from his earnings from Sheeran’s tour to organizations supporting Palestinians. He also challenged Kraft to match the donation.

Bryan is scheduled to return to Gillette Stadium for a second concert before concluding his “With Heaven On Tour” later this month.