Zach Bryan Wears 'Free Palestine' Shirt at Gillette Stadium
Zach Bryan walked on stage at Gillette Stadium on Friday, Oct. 2, wearing a black T-shirt reading "Free Palestine".
The concert was the first of two dates at the Foxborough, Massachusetts, stadium on his With Heaven On Tour. Members of his band wore matching shirts, Billboard reported on Oct. 3.
Gillette Stadium is owned by the Kraft Group, led by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Kraft played a central role in the removal of Macklemore from the remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour over Macklemore's pro-Palestinian statements on stage.
Macklemore had declared "Free Palestine" and performed his 2024 protest song "Hind's Hall" while opening for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 4 and 5. Tour promoter Messina Touring Group, the company responsible for staging and routing the dates, confirmed on Sept. 14 that Macklemore would no longer appear on the remaining US dates.
Kraft called Macklemore's statements "deeply offensive" and said "a line had been crossed", according to a Billboard bulletin published Sept. 14. He later confirmed he decided to ban Macklemore from the venue, according to a second bulletin published Sept. 15. Macklemore had accused Kraft of barring him from opening for Sheeran at Gillette, WBUR reported, while Fox News reported that other venues also barred Macklemore from the US stadium run. Sheeran's two Gillette Stadium dates were later scrapped because of severe weather conditions.
After Macklemore's removal, openers Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham left the Sheeran tour in solidarity, as did Irish folk band Beoga. Macklemore pledged US$1 million from touring earnings to Palestinian aid organisations. He also announced a Free Palestine Tour with dates in Dublin, Paris and London from Oct. 26 to 30.
Bryan is scheduled to play a second night at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. The venue lists the run as part of With Heaven On Tour, which it describes as his biggest international tour yet, with Gregory Alan Isakov as a featured performer, according to the stadium listing and WWLP.
What makes this stand out for fans is the setting. Weeks after the dispute over on-stage speech, the same stadium hosted a headliner and his band in matching "Free Palestine" shirts.
