Zach Bryan wears ‘Free Palestine’ t-shirt at Gillette Stadium concert, weeks after Ed Sheeran tour uproar

Country singer Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” T-shirt during his concert at Gillette Stadium near Boston on Friday night, weeks after stadium owner Robert Kraft was accused of pressuring Ed Sheeran to abandon his opening act because of pro-Palestinian comments.

Videos posted on social media showed Bryan, 30, wearing a black T-shirt with “Free Palestine” in white letters during his stop at the stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, is a strong supporter of Israel.

Last month, rapper Macklemore said he was dropped from Sheeran’s tour at Kraft’s request after speaking out in support of the Palestinians during the tour’s New Jersey concerts.

Kraft did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He said he did not want to stifle support for the Palestinians but 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 – pulled out of the tour in protest after Macklemore’s withdrawal.

Sheeran apologized for the way he handled the matter during his first show since Macklemore’s impeachment was announced.

“I never wanted to be an activist musician,” Sheeran said, “but it put me in the middle of an important and passionate debate about free 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 among his stops.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a pop culture flashpoint for decades.

The Israeli war in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 people, according to local health authorities. This followed Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were killed.

Divergences over the war have permeated everything from local political conflicts to the Costume Institute exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bryan is best known for his songs “Something in the Orange”, “I Remember Everything” with Kacey Musgraves and “Pink Skies”. The Grammy-winning artist served in the US Navy for several years while continuing to write and record music.