Zach Bryan wore a black T-shirt featuring white 3D lettering that read “FREE PALESTINE” (Page Six) while taking the stage at Gillette Stadium. Bryan, 30, performed in Foxborough, Massachusetts, during the first of two sold-out shows (Whiskey Riff, Page Six, Us Magazine). Several of his band members also wore Palestine-branded clothing, including guitarist Noah Le Gros, who wore a green Palestine soccer jersey (Page Six).
Zach Bryan Wears Free Palestine Shirt at Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium
The concert attire directly challenged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (Whiskey Riff, Page Six), whose venue hosted the performance (Whiskey Riff, Us Magazine). Gillette Stadium is owned by the Kraft Group, and the demonstration occurred just under a month after Kraft barred rapper Macklemore from appearing at the stadium (Page Six, Us Magazine).
Macklemore Performs at MetLife Stadium
The stadium ban originated from events earlier in September, when Macklemore performed as an opening act for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Whiskey Riff, Page Six).
Guitarist Joe Bonamassa criticized Macklemore for politicizing an opening slot, while singer Pink, who is Jewish, condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization. Several NFL stadium owners threatened to cancel Sheeran’s tour stops over the political speeches (Page Six). Although tour promoters assured owners the rhetoric would stop, Macklemore continued the political messaging on the second night (Page Six).
Robert Kraft Responds to Tour Controversy
Following the New Jersey shows, Robert Kraft contacted Ed Sheeran directly to bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium (Whiskey Riff, Page Six). Macklemore later claimed on Instagram that Kraft rallied other venue owners to issue an ultimatum threatening to block Sheeran unless the rapper was removed.
Kraft subsequently released a statement defending the decision to ban Macklemore from the September 25 and 26 dates, pointing to the New Jersey stage remarks alongside what he termed a history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.
Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a 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,
Kraft stated. Kraft added that while too many lives had been lost, sharing selective information while ignoring Hamas’ actions only advanced division.
Macklemore was formally removed from the remaining tour dates (Whiskey Riff, Page Six), prompting other opening acts like Finneas and Lukas Graham, as well as backing band Beoga, to withdraw in solidarity (Us Magazine). Ed Sheeran maintained he did not fire Macklemore himself (Us Magazine, TheWrap) and later apologized to crowds for the fallout, while both Kraft and Sheeran coordinated to donate millions of dollars toward Palestinian humanitarian relief efforts (Page Six, Us Magazine). Macklemore subsequently announced his own independent, sold-out Free Palestine Tour
(Us Magazine, TheWrap).
