Zach Bryan Wears ‘Free Palestine’ Shirt While Headlining Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium; Drummer Honors Slain Palestinian Girl
Macklemore may have been barred from saying “Free Palestine!” at Robert Kraft‘s Gillette Stadium — and indeed, from anywhere else on Ed Sheeran‘s tour, as that headliner agreed with Kraft that the controversial rapper should be removed from the opening slot on all the shows he was booked for. But it was probably inevitable that, at some point, some musician would make a statement by sneaking in the same message while playing Kraft’s venue in Foxborough, Mass.
What was surprising, to just about everyone, was who actually pulled it off: Zach Bryan. The country-rock superstar wore a “Free Palestine” T-shirt Friday night in the first of his two headlining appearances at Gillette Stadium, and fan footage shared from the venue’s big screens shows that at least two of Bryan’s band members were wearing Palestine jerseys as well.
Part of the surprise in Bryan being the one to make the bold statement in Kraft territory is that he is a proud Navy veteran working at least on the outskirts of a genre, country, that has a fan base that would not be universally welcoming to such a position. Indeed, the reaction among self-proclaimed Bryan fans on X and other social media platforms was deeply riven, as word of his wardrobe choice spread late Friday night and into Saturday morning.
Bryan was seen wearing a T-shirt (with the sleeves cut off, as is his nightly custom) bearing the logo “Free Palestine.” Beneath that on the shirt were an emblem of a pine tree and another message that read “An Appeal to Heaven.” These are references to a flag commissioned by George Washington in 1775 for a fleet of schooners sent to intercept British ships; later, it became the flag for the Massachusetts Navy — giving it a distinct historical and local connection for the Boston-area show.
Bryan’s drummer, Nate Head bore a jersey with Palestine on the front and, on the back, the numeral 5 and the name “Hind Rajab.” Rajab was a 5-year-old girl in Gaza reported to have been killed by the Israeli military’s tank fire on Jan. 24, 2024, after having been trapped with her cousin and pleading for help in a disabled car for hours.
On his Instagram Stories, the drummer reposted a user sharing footage of him pounding the drums while wearing his Palestine/Hind Rajab jersey, with that user’s caption, “Who wants to listen to me talk for 2 hours straight about this cultural shift,” and the hashtags “RIP Hind Rajab” and “Free Palestine.”
Bryan’s guitarist, Noah Le Gros, also wore a green Palestine soccer jersey. He was later seen posing, pointedly, in front of a Kraft Sports & Entertainment sign backstage.
Some news outlets ran with a widely spread and apparently false statement attributed to Bryan on Saturday. The statement, in which Bryan supposedly spoke up defending his stance from the night before, came from an X account that purports to belong to the singer but does not. (Bryan’s real X account has been deactivated.)
Bryan and band are set to perform at Gillette Stadium for a second consecutive night on Saturday evening. A Ticketmaster seating chart for the show indicates only a few hundred tickets still on sale for the show, in a venue with an estimated concert capacity of 70,000.
Bryan’s on-stage statement immediately drew a lot of negative feedback from conservative fans, although there are pockets on the right that have come out against Israel’s actions in Gaza who applauded Bryan. Among them was Candace Owens, who posted on X, “This is amazing. Only made more amazing by the fact that Zach Bryan served our country. Genocide is always wrong.”
Bryan’s politics have been somewhat elusive, with the singer-songwriter posting that he finds deep problems on both sides of America’s political divides. He previously raised the ire of some on the right with a song titled “Bad News,” which among its scattershot character-study lyrics, contained a seemingly negative reference to ICE (“ICE is gonna come, bust down your door / Try and build a house no one builds no more / But I got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone”). Following that, many on social media threatened to “Bud Light” him — that is, subject him to a boycott. But Bryan’s stadium shows have continued to be sellouts, and the artist has remained mostly apolitical as far as taking stands on any hot-button issues.
It has been just under a month since Macklemore spoke out against Israel opening for Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4. Although the tour promoter believed he had agreed to not repeat the statements the following night, he did, leading to his dismissal from the tour. Messina Touring Group, the promoter, said that Kraft — a friend of Sheeran — would not allow the tour to play his venues if Macklemore remained on the bill. (Sheeran’s shows at Gillette Stadium ended up being canceled anyway, due to the east coast’s damaging nor’easter weather.)
Attempts to reach Robert Kraft’s organization for comment Saturday were unsuccessful.
A smattering of social media reactions to Bryan’s T-shirt statement:
“Zach Bryan is a pussy and an embarrassment to our military and veterans. From the river to the sea, Palestine is debris.” (from noreallystfu)
“Here is Oologah, Oklahoma’s favorite son playing ‘Oklahoma Smokeshow’ in a Free Palestine shirt at Gillette Stadium. He might not be playing that second Gillette show tonight and he definitely won’t be making any Sonic ads, but.. The balls on Zach Bryan… who knew?” (AshleyTXBurner)
“Fucking amazing, Zach Bryan is on the right side of history. Everyone knows Israel has been committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, and the entire world and the American people will not stay silent. Free Palestine.” (RealDea87170572)
“This will be career ending for him, he is just up his own that much that he doesn’t see it. Maren Morris found out the hard way. His actual fans are RIGHT WING, not leftwing. He’s now BFFs with that other closet case Jew hater, Bruce Springsteen. He’s anti-Trump, anti-Ice, anti-MAGA.” (Tradwife2222)
“IT’S OFFICIAL: Country singer Zach Bryan just went full 3rd world Islamist sympathizer and is getting the JELLY ROLL treatment after exposing his true colors. ‘Free Palestine.’ Go live there, so stunning and brave! He’s just more Hollywood BS. Virtue signaling to leftists!” (EricLDaugh)
“Robert Kraft has now banned him from using razors.” (mchooyah)
“Kraft can have all the tantrums he likes but I very much doubt he’ll be able to bully Zach Bryan into submission. This is a clear act of defiance and an F you to both Kraft and Sheeran.” (DisparatePanda)
“Zach Bryan served 8 years active duty in the United States military and I’m reading tweets for him to be deported. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know I’m not sure what does.” (HamoodyJafar)
“Another Cuck for Islam.” (tjtradez2080)
“Dear Ed Sheeran, If you ever need to borrow some fucking balls for standing up for what’s right Zach Bryan has more than enough to go around!” (ItsThatGuy330)
“Zach Bryan rolled into Gillette Stadium, looked at a sold-out country crowd that drove hours to hear songs about trucks and bad decisions, and decided what they really needed was a foreign-policy seminar. … Country radio didn’t get big because the parking lot was full of people looking for a lecture on Gaza. Most of that crowd doesn’t support Palestine, doesn’t want the shirt, and didn’t ask the guy with the guitar to settle the Middle East between encores. But the shirt went on anyway. That’s the modern move. You get famous off one audience, then you borrow somebody else’s politics and act surprised when half the room stops clapping.” (wickedsmaahht)
“A real Spartacus moment in music. All true artists resist conformity and control. Trying to tell the most recalcitrant people what they can or can’t say was always going to backfire. This trend will only grew the more there is an attempt to censor. Bravo, Zach Bryan and crew!” (im_PULSE)
“Siri, add Zach Bryan to my Spotify playlist.” (MrWobbleWubMstr)
What was surprising, to just about everyone, was who actually pulled it off: Zach Bryan. The country-rock superstar wore a “Free Palestine” T-shirt Friday night in the first of his two headlining appearances at Gillette Stadium, and fan footage shared from the venue’s big screens shows that at least two of Bryan’s band members were wearing Palestine jerseys as well.
Part of the surprise in Bryan being the one to make the bold statement in Kraft territory is that he is a proud Navy veteran working at least on the outskirts of a genre, country, that has a fan base that would not be universally welcoming to such a position. Indeed, the reaction among self-proclaimed Bryan fans on X and other social media platforms was deeply riven, as word of his wardrobe choice spread late Friday night and into Saturday morning.
Bryan was seen wearing a T-shirt (with the sleeves cut off, as is his nightly custom) bearing the logo “Free Palestine.” Beneath that on the shirt were an emblem of a pine tree and another message that read “An Appeal to Heaven.” These are references to a flag commissioned by George Washington in 1775 for a fleet of schooners sent to intercept British ships; later, it became the flag for the Massachusetts Navy — giving it a distinct historical and local connection for the Boston-area show.
Bryan’s drummer, Nate Head bore a jersey with Palestine on the front and, on the back, the numeral 5 and the name “Hind Rajab.” Rajab was a 5-year-old girl in Gaza reported to have been killed by the Israeli military’s tank fire on Jan. 24, 2024, after having been trapped with her cousin and pleading for help in a disabled car for hours.
On his Instagram Stories, the drummer reposted a user sharing footage of him pounding the drums while wearing his Palestine/Hind Rajab jersey, with that user’s caption, “Who wants to listen to me talk for 2 hours straight about this cultural shift,” and the hashtags “RIP Hind Rajab” and “Free Palestine.”
Bryan’s guitarist, Noah Le Gros, also wore a green Palestine soccer jersey. He was later seen posing, pointedly, in front of a Kraft Sports & Entertainment sign backstage.
Some news outlets ran with a widely spread and apparently false statement attributed to Bryan on Saturday. The statement, in which Bryan supposedly spoke up defending his stance from the night before, came from an X account that purports to belong to the singer but does not. (Bryan’s real X account has been deactivated.)
Bryan and band are set to perform at Gillette Stadium for a second consecutive night on Saturday evening. A Ticketmaster seating chart for the show indicates only a few hundred tickets still on sale for the show, in a venue with an estimated concert capacity of 70,000.
Bryan’s on-stage statement immediately drew a lot of negative feedback from conservative fans, although there are pockets on the right that have come out against Israel’s actions in Gaza who applauded Bryan. Among them was Candace Owens, who posted on X, “This is amazing. Only made more amazing by the fact that Zach Bryan served our country. Genocide is always wrong.”
Bryan’s politics have been somewhat elusive, with the singer-songwriter posting that he finds deep problems on both sides of America’s political divides. He previously raised the ire of some on the right with a song titled “Bad News,” which among its scattershot character-study lyrics, contained a seemingly negative reference to ICE (“ICE is gonna come, bust down your door / Try and build a house no one builds no more / But I got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone”). Following that, many on social media threatened to “Bud Light” him — that is, subject him to a boycott. But Bryan’s stadium shows have continued to be sellouts, and the artist has remained mostly apolitical as far as taking stands on any hot-button issues.
It has been just under a month since Macklemore spoke out against Israel opening for Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4. Although the tour promoter believed he had agreed to not repeat the statements the following night, he did, leading to his dismissal from the tour. Messina Touring Group, the promoter, said that Kraft — a friend of Sheeran — would not allow the tour to play his venues if Macklemore remained on the bill. (Sheeran’s shows at Gillette Stadium ended up being canceled anyway, due to the east coast’s damaging nor’easter weather.)
Attempts to reach Robert Kraft’s organization for comment Saturday were unsuccessful.
A smattering of social media reactions to Bryan’s T-shirt statement:
“Zach Bryan is a pussy and an embarrassment to our military and veterans. From the river to the sea, Palestine is debris.” (from noreallystfu)
“Here is Oologah, Oklahoma’s favorite son playing ‘Oklahoma Smokeshow’ in a Free Palestine shirt at Gillette Stadium. He might not be playing that second Gillette show tonight and he definitely won’t be making any Sonic ads, but.. The balls on Zach Bryan… who knew?” (AshleyTXBurner)
“Fucking amazing, Zach Bryan is on the right side of history. Everyone knows Israel has been committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, and the entire world and the American people will not stay silent. Free Palestine.” (RealDea87170572)
“This will be career ending for him, he is just up his own that much that he doesn’t see it. Maren Morris found out the hard way. His actual fans are RIGHT WING, not leftwing. He’s now BFFs with that other closet case Jew hater, Bruce Springsteen. He’s anti-Trump, anti-Ice, anti-MAGA.” (Tradwife2222)
“IT’S OFFICIAL: Country singer Zach Bryan just went full 3rd world Islamist sympathizer and is getting the JELLY ROLL treatment after exposing his true colors. ‘Free Palestine.’ Go live there, so stunning and brave! He’s just more Hollywood BS. Virtue signaling to leftists!” (EricLDaugh)
“Robert Kraft has now banned him from using razors.” (mchooyah)
“Kraft can have all the tantrums he likes but I very much doubt he’ll be able to bully Zach Bryan into submission. This is a clear act of defiance and an F you to both Kraft and Sheeran.” (DisparatePanda)
“Zach Bryan served 8 years active duty in the United States military and I’m reading tweets for him to be deported. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know I’m not sure what does.” (HamoodyJafar)
“Another Cuck for Islam.” (tjtradez2080)
“Dear Ed Sheeran, If you ever need to borrow some fucking balls for standing up for what’s right Zach Bryan has more than enough to go around!” (ItsThatGuy330)
“Zach Bryan rolled into Gillette Stadium, looked at a sold-out country crowd that drove hours to hear songs about trucks and bad decisions, and decided what they really needed was a foreign-policy seminar. … Country radio didn’t get big because the parking lot was full of people looking for a lecture on Gaza. Most of that crowd doesn’t support Palestine, doesn’t want the shirt, and didn’t ask the guy with the guitar to settle the Middle East between encores. But the shirt went on anyway. That’s the modern move. You get famous off one audience, then you borrow somebody else’s politics and act surprised when half the room stops clapping.” (wickedsmaahht)
“A real Spartacus moment in music. All true artists resist conformity and control. Trying to tell the most recalcitrant people what they can or can’t say was always going to backfire. This trend will only grew the more there is an attempt to censor. Bravo, Zach Bryan and crew!” (im_PULSE)
“Siri, add Zach Bryan to my Spotify playlist.” (MrWobbleWubMstr)