Country singer Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” shirt during Robert Kraft’s concert at Gillette Stadium on Friday night; It comes a month after the Jewish NFL owner banned Macklemore for his anti-Israel rhetoric.
Bryan, 30, wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with white 3D letters that read “FREE PALESTINE” as he took the stage for his sold-out show in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday night.
Below was a picture of a pine tree, separating it from the rest of the message, which read: “A CALL TO HEAVEN.”
The “Pine Tree” flag and “Call to Heaven” are a reference to the American Revolutionary campaign, connecting George Washington to his command of the Continental Army.
“Some American colonists embraced the idea that God could be called to help them defend their natural rights,” the National Park Service said of the flag and motto.
The “Revival” singer was not alone, as many of the band members were also wearing Palestinian brand clothing.
Guitarist Noah Le Gros wore a green Palestinian football jersey on stage next to Bryan and later shared a photo of himself standing in the jersey in front of a Kraft Sports and Entertainment sign.
Friday’s concert kicked off with a two-night run at Kraft’s stadium as part of the closing leg of the “With Heaven on Tour.”
Bryan’s public “Free Palestine” promotion comes less than a month after Macklemore made an anti-Israel speech during the opening performance of Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour on Sept. 4 and 5 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
The “Thrift Shop” rapper wore a black-and-white keffiyeh around his neck and focused on the war, calling for a “free Palestine” and “every single human being” to have freedom.
Several NFL owners who were scheduled to host Sheeran’s tour threatened to pull the shows because they did not want the rapper to speak politically at their venues.
Tour organizer Messina Touring Group assured the group of tour owners that Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, would not share any anti-Israel messages on MetLife’s second night.
The rapper did not comply with orders and continued by showing footage of anti-Gaza and anti-Israel protests on screens behind him onstage.
Macklemore said, “Free Palestine. I want these words to be clear so that people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them. This next song was inspired by the courage of Columbia University students who led a camp movement that opened hearts by mobilizing the world, including myself.”
Macklemore was removed from the remainder of the tour after stadium owners, led by Kraft, threatened to cancel Sheeran’s concerts.
Sheeran’s Gillette shows were later canceled due to bad weather.
Kraft and Sheeran, who have a long-standing relationship, spoke out about the troubled rapper and agreed to donate money to Palestinian relief efforts.
“Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to pledge $2 million to match his donation to combat this humanitarian crisis in the region,” Kraft said in a statement in September. “Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue working together to build bridges.”