Country music star Zach Bryan wore a Free Palestine shirt during his concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, weeks after venue owner Robert Kraft barred rapper Macklemore from performing there over similar pro-Palestinian remarks.
Zach Bryan took the stage for his Friday night performance wearing a black cutoff T-shirt bearing a direct political message, sparking immediate debate online as social media users split over whether the singer was making a courageous statement or bringing politics into a music concert.
The 30-year-old Oklahoma native and Navy veteran walked out in a black T-shirt displaying Free Palestine
across the front, accompanied by a pine-tree image and the phrase An appeal to heaven,
which dates back to the Revolutionary War and served as the maritime flag of Massachusetts until 1971.
While performing his set, Bryan did not call attention to the shirt between songs and never made a verbal statement about it. Other artists, such as Macklemore during his September 4 appearance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, had addressed crowds directly by calling for a Free Palestine,
showing images from Gaza on screens behind them, and performing Hind’s Hall,
his protest song about the student occupation at Columbia University.
Robert Kraft Bars Macklemore from Gillette Stadium
The display arrived roughly a month after Robert Kraft, the multibillionaire owner of the New England Patriots and chairman of the Kraft Group, barred rapper Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium.
Kraft cited what he described as a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery, that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”
Robert Kraft, CEO of the Kraft Group
Kraft subsequently confirmed that Macklemore would not perform at the stadium. Reports indicated that venue owners had refused to host shows featuring Macklemore after tour promoters faced pressure, leading to his removal from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour.
Sheeran later stated that removing Macklemore was not his own decision, describing the situation as an effort to build a bridge
before venue owners said no, and apologizing for how he handled the matter. Sheeran remarked that he never wanted to be an activist musician, noting that the controversy placed him in the middle of a complex political debate regarding freedom of speech.
Kraft added that his decision was not meant to stifle support for Palestinians or minimize civilian suffering, but rather to ensure a welcoming environment at the stadium.
Following his removal, Macklemore announced a Free Palestine Tour
for the fall running from October 26 to October 30 with shows set for Dublin, Paris, and London, giving an update that the tour sold out immediately. Gillette Stadium was not among its locations.
Band Members Wear Palestine Jerseys During Performance
Bryan’s band members matched the visual tone of the stage. Drummer Nate Head performed wearing a white-and-tan striped Palestine soccer jersey featuring Hind Rajab
and the number 5 on the back, while guitarist Noah Le Gros wore a green Palestine soccer jersey.
Political figures and commentators weighed in immediately. Conservative commentator Candace Owens posted on X that the display was amazing, noting the singer’s prior service in the U.S. Navy before his honorable discharge in 2021 after serving for eight years.
Online reactions divided sharply. One supporter praised the decision as a courageous statement to help conservative crowds see the light, while others defended Bryan’s right to make the statement even while making clear they disagreed with his political views. Critics and other commenters debated the nature of the war in Gaza, questioning the motivations behind wearing the shirt at a venue owned by a staunch supporter of Israel.
Earlier in the year, Bryan released the song Bad News
on his album With Heaven on Top,
featuring lyrics questioning immigration enforcement and the line Is this all true, man?/Or is it just bad news?
The song was condemned by then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Off stage, Bryan has also worked to establish the Jack Kerouac Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, purchasing a former church building and buying a record-priced 120-foot-long scroll of Kerouac’s 1957 novel On the Road
to preserve and display it.