Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine“ shirt while performing at Gillette Stadium on Friday night for his With Heaven On Tour following owner Robert Kraft defending his move to urge for Macklemore‘s removal from Ed Sheeran‘s tour after making pro-Palestinian remarks in earlier shows.
In photos and videos captured by fans and shared on social media, Bryan can be seen wearing a black shirt with the “Free Palestine“ wording while several of his band members also wore Palestine-branded clothing.
Bryan reportedly did not address the shirt or comment further onstage about Palestine but did share a statement on social media Saturday writing, “I didn’t put on a FREE PALESTINE shirt to please everybody. I wore it because some things are bigger than music, fame, and public approval. You’re free to disagree with me, but I’m not going to pretend I don’t care just to keep everyone comfortable.“
The country singer is having a two-night run at Kraft’s stadium, slated to close his tour on Saturday night.
Bryan’s “Free Palestine” shirt comes amid controversy surrounding Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium. Rapper Macklemore previously alleged that he was dropped from being an opener on Sheeran‘s tour after Kraft “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.” During his opening set at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore had publicly shouted “Free Palestine” and showed footage from Gaza on the screen behind him.
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage,“ Macklemore also shared in a statement. “When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.“
On his Instagram Stories, Macklemore shared a photo of Bryan wearing the shirt writing, “Robert Kraft“ and putting the side eye emoji and the Palestine flag.
In response Kraft said in a statement, “Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech. Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and 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.”
He also said he would “welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”
Of the decision, Sheeran shared in his own statement, “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
Amid the fallout, other acts scheduled to open Sheeran‘s tour — Finneas, Danish pop band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe — dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore.
Macklemore later revealed that he’s donating $1 million to support Palestinian people and invited Kraft to match his donation. The Gillette Stadium owner agreed and announced that he planned “to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.”
Macklemore has since announced a “Free Palestine” Tour, with all the proceeds pledged to pro-Palestinian organizations. He will perform in Dublin, Paris and London on Oct. 26, 29 and 30. Additional artists performing are to be announced.
Last week, Macklemore shared that following his announcement all three dates have since sold out. “I’m honestly blown away,” Macklemore wrote. “We put these shows together fast and in community, believing that musicians can stand in solidarity with Palestine, use the stage to raise funds and show what collective action can look like. When those in power try to silence our calls for liberation, art will always be a form of resistance.“
