Zach Bryan Breaks Gillette Stadium's Record While in Free Palestine Shirt
The Hollywood Reporter • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Zach Bryan broke the Gillette Stadium attendance record with 73,538 fans during his With Heaven On Tour shows, wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt but not addressing it onstage.
- Bryan's shirt comes weeks after Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour ahead of shows at Gillette Stadium due to his pro-Palestine speeches, with venue owners, including Robert Kraft, reportedly threatening to pull out if Macklemore remained.
- Kraft defended the decision to drop Macklemore, citing concerns over antisemitic rhetoric and a commitment to preventing hate speech at Gillette Stadium, while also pledging $2 million to aid humanitarian efforts in the region.
- Ed Sheeran clarified that removing Macklemore was the promoter's decision, not his, and expressed a desire to keep his music focused on unity, though he acknowledged the humanitarian crisis in Israel and Gaza during a concert statement.
- Other artists, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Rowe, also withdrew from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore amid the controversy.
