As of about 4:20 p.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, the newest report we read is a 2:17 p.m. EDT update from CBS Boston. It says Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” shirt during his concert at Gillette Stadium on Friday, Oct. 2. CBS Boston, which identifies Robert Kraft as the New England Patriots owner who also owns the stadium, ties the shirt in its headline and first sentence to the “Macklemore-Robert Kraft controversy.” Consequence calls it “an apparent message directed at the venue’s owner.” Those are the outlets’ readings; we found no statement from Bryan.
What happened Friday
Bryan played the first of two concerts at the stadium; the second is scheduled for Saturday night. According to CBS Boston, the full text on the shirt read “Free Palestine” and “An appeal to heaven” with a pine tree logo, and some members of his band wore shirts with similar messages. Citing a 2024 Associated Press article, CBS Boston said “An appeal to heaven” dates to the Revolutionary War and was on the official maritime flag of Massachusetts until 1971.
What we did not find
We did not find a statement from Bryan or his band, or an explanation of why “An appeal to heaven” was on the shirt. CBS Boston said WBZ-TV asked Gillette Stadium for comment and “has not yet heard back.” Consequence said it reached out to Kraft’s representatives. We found no response from Kraft or the stadium.
The Macklemore background
The Boston Globe reported that Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian comments, made from the stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5 during Ed Sheeran’s tour, “led Robert Kraft to say he would bar his upcoming concert at Gillette Stadium if the rapper did not leave the tour.” Who said what:
- Kraft (Monday, Sept. 14). CBS Boston quoted his statement: “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 Globe reported he said Gillette is committed to ensuring events “do not provide a platform for hate speech,” and that he appeared to allude to a 2014 incident in which Macklemore wore a costume onstage that critics said resembled a caricature of a Jewish man; Macklemore “later apologized and said it was never his intention to cause offense.”
- Macklemore (Monday, Sept. 14). CBS Boston reported he said on Instagram that “Antisemitism is real,” but argued that criticizing Israel and saying “Free Palestine” should not be conflated with Jewish hate. The Globe noted that many supporters of Israel say the phrase is antisemitic, and reported he said he was removed after Kraft contacted Sheeran and owners of other NFL stadiums on the tour.
- Sheeran (Tuesday, Sept. 15). In an Instagram statement reported by the Globe: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.” He also said: “I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft,” and that “the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”
- Messina Touring Group, promoter of Sheeran’s “U.S. Loop Tour,” said, as quoted by the Globe, that venues had notified it they “will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup.”
Deadline says Kraft and other venue owners “pressured” Sheeran and gave him an “ultimatum,” and Consequence calls it a “pressure campaign.” Those are the outlets’ own words; the portions of Kraft’s and Sheeran’s statements we read do not use them.
The Globe reported that Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham dropped out of Sheeran’s tour; CBS Boston says every other supporting act did. Sept. 25 and 26 were the Gillette dates Kraft’s statement referred to, and CBS Boston says those Sheeran shows were canceled because of a nor’easter.