By Palestine Chronicle Staff
Wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt, Zach Bryan drew 73,538 fans to Gillette Stadium, breaking its three-year attendance record on Saturday.
Key Developments
- Zach Bryan performed before 73,538 people, surpassing the Gillette Stadium record established by Ed Sheeran in July 2023.
- Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” shirt for the second consecutive night, while members of his band displayed additional messages supporting Palestine.
- The record was broken at Robert Kraft’s stadium weeks after he barred Macklemore following the rapper’s pro-Palestine performances.
Country singer Zach Bryan broke Gillette Stadium’s all-time attendance record on Saturday while performing for the second consecutive night in a “Free Palestine” shirt.
“Tonight, Zach Bryan broke the Gillette Stadium attendance record with 73,538 fans!” the venue announced following the concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The performance attracted the largest crowd for any event in the stadium’s history, surpassing the previous record of 71,723 established by Ed Sheeran on July 1, 2023.
‘Free Palestine’
Bryan wore a black shirt reading “Free Palestine” during both nights of his Gillette Stadium engagement.
The shirt also featured a pine tree and the words “An Appeal to Heaven,” a phrase associated with a flag used during the American Revolution.
Bryan did not directly address the shirt from the stage, but members of his band joined the public display of solidarity with Palestine.
Drummer Nate Head wore a Palestine jersey bearing the name “Hind Rajab” and the number five, honoring the five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in January 2024.
Guitarist Noah Le Gros wore a green Palestine soccer jersey during the performance.
Gillette Stadium subsequently shared images and video from the record-breaking concert on social media. However, the material largely relied on wide shots and did not clearly show Bryan’s shirt, prompting fans to question the omission.
“Weird you don’t want a close up of his face/shirt,” one social media user wrote, according to Page Six.
At Robert Kraft’s Stadium
Bryan’s appearance carried particular significance because Gillette Stadium is owned by billionaire Robert Kraft, who barred Macklemore from performing at the venue following the rapper’s outspoken support for Palestine.
The controversy began after Macklemore appeared as an opening act on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in September.
During the performance, Macklemore declared “Free Palestine,” expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, showed images from Gaza and performed “Hind’s Hall,” his protest song honoring student-led Palestine solidarity encampments.
Macklemore was later removed from the remaining tour dates. He said Kraft had rallied other stadium owners and pressured tour organizers to remove him.
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage,” Macklemore said.
“When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.”
Sheeran said the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour promoter rather than by him.
Other opening acts, including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, subsequently withdrew from Sheeran’s tour. Finneas said his decision was made in solidarity with Palestine and in opposition to the silencing of artists.
‘Art Will Always Be Resistance’
Following his removal, Macklemore announced a separate Free Palestine tour, pledging to donate all proceeds to organizations supporting Palestinians.
The three announced performances in Dublin, Paris and London sold out immediately.
“We put these shows together fast and in community, believing that musicians can stand in solidarity with Palestine, use the stage to raise funds and show what collective action can look like,” Macklemore said.
“When those in power try to silence our calls for liberation, art will always be a form of resistance.”
Reprinted from The Palestine Chronicle
