Zach Bryan Breaks Gillette Stadium Attendance Record While Wearing “Free Palestine” Shirt for a Second Night
Zach Bryan closed out his two-night run at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, by setting a new attendance record at the venue. He also made the same political statement he had made the night before, taking the stage Saturday in a “Free Palestine” shirt.
The sold-out crowd of 73,538 surpassed the previous Gillette Stadium attendance record of 71,723, which had been set by Ed Sheeran in 2023. The timing gave Bryan’s appearance added significance, given the controversy surrounding Sheeran’s tour and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft just weeks earlier.
Bryan wore the same shirt on both nights
Bryan first appeared at Gillette Stadium on Friday night wearing a “Free Palestine, Appeal To Heaven” shirt. He returned Saturday wearing the same shirt for the second show.
Several members of his band also wore pro-Palestine clothing from Wear the Peace, an organization that donates to children living in war-torn areas.
The clothing drew particular attention because Gillette Stadium is owned by the Kraft Group, led by Robert Kraft, and because of a recent dispute involving rapper Macklemore and Ed Sheeran’s tour.
Bryan has not publicly commented on his clothing choice, while Kraft has also made no statement about Bryan’s shirt.
The controversy began with Macklemore
The backdrop to Bryan’s appearance goes back to an incident earlier this month involving Macklemore, who had been opening for Sheeran during the U.S. leg of his tour.
During a performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Macklemore used nearly three minutes of his set to speak about the war between Israel and Palestine and voice his support for Palestinians.
During the speech, he said:
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine.’”
He continued:
“I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
Macklemore also expressed support for Iran and referred to ICE as a “terrorist organization.” His comments about Palestine, however, became the main focus of the backlash that followed.
Other artists criticized Macklemore’s decision
The speech prompted reactions from other musicians.
Joe Bonamassa criticized Macklemore for using his position as an opening act to bring politics into the concert.
Pink, who is Jewish, also addressed the controversy and referred to Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Macklemore had been scheduled to open eight of the final 10 U.S. shows on Sheeran’s tour. That changed after he was removed from the remaining dates.
In an Instagram post announcing his side of the story, Macklemore blamed Robert Kraft for his removal from the tour.
According to Macklemore, Sheeran told him that Kraft had contacted him after the controversy surrounding the MetLife performance. Because Sheeran was scheduled to perform at Gillette Stadium, Macklemore said Kraft made clear that he would not be permitted to perform there.
Macklemore also claimed that Kraft had spoken with other stadium owners, who collectively pressured Sheeran to remove him from the tour.
He wrote:
“Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.”
Macklemore added that he considers Sheeran a brother, but said their friendship could not prevent him from speaking publicly about what he believed had happened.
Kraft cited Macklemore’s past comments and imagery
Kraft subsequently issued a statement explaining why Macklemore would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium.
He pointed to Macklemore’s remarks during the New Jersey shows as well as what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery, including a previous incident in which the rapper dressed in what Kraft characterized as an offensive stereotypical Jewish costume.
Kraft said:
“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.”
The controversy continued to affect Sheeran’s tour, with the other opening acts subsequently dropping out as well. Macklemore then announced his own “Free Palestine” tour.
Bryan’s record-setting night
Against that backdrop, Bryan’s decision to wear the “Free Palestine, Appeal To Heaven” shirt at Gillette Stadium attracted considerable attention.
He wore it on Friday, then returned Saturday in the same shirt for the second and final show of the run.
The second night ultimately produced a record-setting crowd. 73,538 people attended the concert, breaking the previous stadium record of 71,723.
That earlier record had been set by Ed Sheeran in 2023, making the new mark particularly notable given the events surrounding Macklemore and Sheeran’s tour.
For perspective, Gillette Stadium also hosted three shows from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2023.
No public response from Bryan or Kraft
Neither Bryan nor Robert Kraft has publicly commented on the shirt.
Bryan is not currently active on social media, although a fake Twitter account appeared the previous day and posted about his shirt. The account apparently led some people online to believe the post had come from Bryan himself.
For now, Bryan’s two-night appearance at Gillette Stadium stands out for both the size of the crowds and the political message he chose to display onstage. On Saturday, he left the venue having set a new attendance record previously held by Sheeran.
Harry Tries To Put The Brakes On Meghan’s U.S. Christmas Plan — But She’s Reportedly Refusing To Budge Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have only just begun rebuilding their family life in Britain, but a new report claims they are already at odds over where Archie and Lilibet will spend the holidays.
Jeopardy Tried To Honor Dolly Parton… But What Happened During Her Special Category Had Country Fans Cringing
© 2026 newsnhanh.com • Built with GeneratePress