Zach Bryan wears “Free Palestine” shirt at Gillette Stadium concert weeks after Macklemore-Robert Kraft controversy

Updated on: October 3, 2026 / 2:17 PM EDT / CBS Boston

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 concert at the venue on Friday.

Bryan was playing the first of two concerts at Gillette Stadium. The second show is scheduled for Saturday night.

The full text on Bryan's shirt 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…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/