Zach Bryan Wears 'Free Palestine' Shirt at Kraft's Gillette Stadium

Zach Bryan opened the first night of his two-night run at Gillette Stadium on Friday wearing a shirt that read "Free Palestine."

The country singer-songwriter appeared to be sending a message to the stadium's owner, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who recently barred Macklemore from performing at the venue. Representatives for Bryan and Gillette Stadium did not immediately return requests for comment.

The backdrop to Friday's gesture traces back to early September, when Macklemore performed at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during Ed Sheeran's tour. From the stage, the Seattle rapper yelled "Free Palestine," expressed solidarity with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, showed images from the war in Gaza, and performed "Hind's Hall," his protest song about pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University.

The backlash was swift. Pro-Israel groups fiercely criticized Macklemore, and he was later removed from the rest of Sheeran's stadium tour.

Macklemore subsequently claimed Kraft had mounted a pressure campaign against Sheeran to have the rapper dropped from the trek. Kraft, in his own statement, confirmed he made the decision to bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette, citing "recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran's shows in New Jersey." Kraft did not address the claim that he also "rallied" other stadium owners to pressure Sheeran.

Every artist supporting Sheeran on his Loop Tour withdrew from the stadium run following Macklemore's removal. "Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," Finneas wrote in a social media post. "I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people."

Weeks after the controversy, Macklemore announced headlining dates for his own Free Palestine Tour, which he said "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 in a post. "When those in power try to silence our calls for liberation, art will always be a form of resistance."

Bryan has now brought the same flashpoint to the venue at the center of the dispute, wearing his message on stage at Kraft's own stadium. Neither Kraft nor the Patriots organization has publicly responded, and whether the shirt prompts any consequence for Bryan remains to be seen.