Zach Bryan made his position known without saying a word.
The country music superstar walked onto the stage at Gillette Stadium Friday night wearing a shirt that read “Free Palestine.”
His shirt appeared to some to be a pointed message at the venue owned by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who recently barred Macklemore from performing at the stadium over what Kraft described as the rapper’s “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.”
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Members of Bryan’s band also appeared to wear clothing supporting the Palestinian cause.
Bryan is scheduled to return to Gillette Stadium Saturday night for the second show of his two-night run.
Bryan’s shirt immediately ignited a debate online, with social media users split over whether the singer was making a courageous political statement or bringing politics into a concert where fans simply came to hear music.
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One supporter celebrated the move, writing, “A great decision by Zach Bryan and his crew. I’m sure they will have to pay a price, but a courageous statement to help the conservative crowds see the light.”
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Another commenter, while making clear they disagreed with Bryan’s position, defended the singer’s right to make the statement.
“Listen I don’t agree with his political view on this but he has the right to wear the shirt. He didn’t stand there & preach his politics. It’s a shirt. He sang songs what he’s suppose to do”
Others disagreed with Bryan’s performance.
“People don’t buy concert tickets to get political opinions,” one person argued.
Another comment read, “Zach Bryan played Gillette Stadium Friday night in a ‘Free Palestine’ shirt. That’s Robert Kraft’s stadium. Last month Kraft barred Macklemore there over his ‘free Palestine’ remarks, citing antisemitic rhetoric. Kraft should cancel tonight’s show. Same standard he held Macklemore to.”
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The controversy comes amid the fallout surrounding Macklemore, who was dropped from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s tour after his politically charged performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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Sheeran later said removing Macklemore was not his decision and that he had spent the week trying to resolve the dispute, including speaking with Kraft.
On Sept. 4, Macklemore performed his song “Hind’s Hall” while repeatedly chanting “Free Palestine” as images from the war in Gaza played behind him.
His performance garnered backlash, and the rapper later defended the performance on social media, writing, “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”
He subsequently announced a new concert run dubbed the “Free Palestine Tour.”
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Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, had previously taken issue with Macklemore’s comments, saying in part, “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.”
He also stated, “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.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kraft and Bryan for comment.
