Zach Bryan took the stage at Gillette Stadium on October 2 with his entire band in black“Free Palestine”shirts, a quiet but unmistakable statement at a venue owned by the Kraft Group. Robert Kraft made headlines earlier this fall when he had Macklemore removed from Ed Sheeran’s US tour over pro-Palestine remarks and the performance of his protest track“Hind’s Hall”at MetLife Stadium.
The controversy spiraled from there. Kraft called the performances deeply offensive, support acts withdrew in solidarity, and Ed Sheeran apologized for how the situation was handled. Macklemore responded by pledging $1 million of his tour earnings to Palestinian aid groups and announcing his own Free Palestine Tour, while Kraft committed $2 million toward humanitarian aid in the region.
Bryan never addressed the shirts from the stage, which is part of why the moment landed so hard. He returns to Gillette tonight, October 3, for a second sold-out show, and plenty of fans are wondering whether he’ll make an even bigger statement. Should artists use their tours to take political stands, or should the stage stay about the music?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.