FOXBOROUGH: Country singer Zach Bryan wore a black T-shirt reading “FREE PALESTINE” during his concert at Gillette Stadium on Friday night, one month after stadium owner Robert Kraft barred rapper Macklemore from performing over anti-Israel remarks.
Bryan, 30, took the stage for a sold-out show at the home of the New England Patriots wearing the shirt, which featured white 3D lettering with a pine tree below and the phrase “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN.” The pine tree flag and slogan are references to an American Revolutionary campaign connected to George Washington’s command of the Continental Army.
“Some American colonists embraced the idea that God could be summoned to help them defend their natural rights,” the National Park Service says of the flag and slogan.
Several of Bryan’s band members also wore Palestine-branded clothing. Guitarist Noah Le Gros wore a green Palestine soccer jersey onstage and later shared a photo of himself in the shirt standing in front of Kraft Sports and Entertainment signage.
Friday’s concert kicked off a two-night run at Kraft’s stadium as part of the closing leg of Bryan’s “With Heaven on Tour.”
The display came less than a month after Macklemore called for “free Palestine” during his opening performance for Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 4 and 5. The “Thrift Shop” rapper wore a black-and-white keffiyeh and spoke about the war, saying he wanted “every single human being” to have freedom.
Several NFL owners scheduled to host Sheeran’s tour threatened to pull the shows over concerns about the rapper’s political speeches at their venues. Tour promoter Messina Touring Group assured the owners that Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, would not share anti-Israel messages during the second night at MetLife.
Macklemore did not follow the agreement, continuing his remarks while footage of Gaza and anti-Israel protests played on screens behind him.
“Free Palestine. I want those words to be clear so that people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them,” Macklemore said. “This next song was inspired by the bravery of the Columbia University students, who led an encampment movement that mobilized the entire world, opening up hearts — myself included.”
Macklemore was dropped from the remainder of the tour after stadium owners, led by Kraft, threatened to drop Sheeran’s concerts. Sheeran’s Gillette Stadium shows were later canceled due to bad weather.