Weeks after rapper Macklemore was barred from opening for Ed Sheeran at Gillette Stadium after making pro-Palestinian comments, musician Zach Bryan wore a shirt that said “Free Palestine” during his concerts at the venue on Friday and Saturday.
Bryan performed the second of two shows at Gillette Stadium Saturday night. The concert broke Gillette Stadium’s attendance record with 73,538 people in the crowd, according to the venue.
The full text on Bryan’s shirt both nights read “Free Palestine” and “An appeal to heaven” with a pine tree logo. Some members of Bryan’s band wore shirts with similar messages.
According to a 2024 Associated Press article, “An appeal to heaven” is a phrase dating back to the Revolutionary War and was on the official maritime flag of Massachusetts until 1971. The phrase came from the belief that God would deliver the colonists from tyranny.
WBZ-TV reached out to Gillette Stadium for comment but has not yet heard back.
Macklemore was dropped from musician Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour after saying “Free Palestine” last month during a concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Macklemore was scheduled to perform at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro with Sheeran, but New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who also owns the stadium, called Sheeran to tell him Macklemore would not be allowed to perform at the venue.
“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,” Kraft wrote in a statement after Macklemore’s remarks.
Macklemore said in an Instagram post that “Antisemitism is real,” but argued that criticizing Israel and saying “Free Palestine” should not be conflated with Jewish hate.
Every other supporting act for Sheeran’s tour dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore.
Since then, Macklemore has pledged to donate $1 million to support Palestinians. He also called on Kraft to match his donation.
Kraft issued a statement in which he said he had already spoken to Sheeran about matching the pop star’s own $2 million donation pledge.
Sheeran’s concerts at Gillette were scheduled for Sept. 25 and 26 but were canceled due to a nor’easter hitting the area that weekend.
