Country singer Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” T-shirt during his concert at Gillette Stadium near Boston on Friday night, weeks after stadium’s owner Robert Kraft was accused of pressuring Ed Sheeran to drop his opening act over pro-Palestinian remarks.
Videos across social media showed Bryan, 30, wearing a black cutoff T-shirt with “Free Palestine” in white letters during his tour stop at the stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots, is a staunch supporter of Israel.
Last month, rapper Macklemore said he was removed from Sheeran’s tour at Kraft’s behest after he spoke out in support of Palestinians at the tour’s shows in New Jersey.
Kraft did not immediately return a request for comment. He has said he did not want to stifle support for Palestinians but to ensure a “welcoming environment” at Gillette Stadium for Sheeran’s tour.
Sheeran’s other opening acts — Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, Finneas and his house band, Beoga — withdrew from the tour in protest after Macklemore’s removal.
Sheeran apologized for how he handled the matter in his first show since news broke of Macklemore’s removal.
“I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician,” Sheeran said, “but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.”
Last week, Macklemore announced a Free Palestine Tour for this fall. Gillette Stadium will not be one of its stops.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a flashpoint in pop culture for decades.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 people there, according to local health authorities. It followed the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed.
Differences over the war have permeated everything from local political contests to the Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Bryan is best known for his songs “Something in the Orange,” “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves and “Pink Skies.” The Grammy-winning artist served in the U.S. Navy for several years while continuing to write and record music.
