Recommendations of the Editorial team
A video purportedly showing Bruce Springsteen allegedly snubbing former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a concert in Brooklyn went viral over the weekend, making headlines on TMZ, the New York Post, Fox News and numerous other media outlets. In an exclusive statement Jon Landau, Springsteen’s longtime manager, tells Rolling Stone that the moment was completely misinterpreted.
“Current reports claiming a rift in the friendship between Bruce and Chris Christie are absurd,” says Landau. “We’ve been friends for years, Chris was at his 180th show and stood on the side of the stage as our guest. And we hope to see him as our guest at the next 180 shows. Period.”
The alleged affront occurred near the end of Springsteen’s May 14 show at the Barclays Center when he walked into the audience during the song “10th Avenue Freeze-Out” – a long-standing concert ritual. When he returned to the stage, Christie stood to the side with his hand outstretched for a high five, but Springsteen ran past and flagged him down. That split second was seen as evidence of a falling out between the two – even though it’s pretty clear in the video that Springsteen had his back turned to the ex-governor, was fully focused on his performance, and even cheerfully addressed him at the start of the song with the words “Come on, gov.” (You can see it from minute 2:40 in the video below.)
Political context of the debate
Many were prepared from the outset to interpret the failed high five as a sign of a rift: Springsteen is an avowed Democrat and sharp Trump critic, this tour is highly politically charged, and Christie is a Republican who supported Trump as one of the first prominent names in the 2016 primary and served as an advisor and debate preparer during his first term. However, after the January 6 insurrection, Christie turned sharply against Trump. In 2024, he tried to beat Trump in the Republican primary. Since then, Christie has regularly appeared in the media as a dissenting voice.
Despite all the ups and downs with Trump, Christie has never wavered in his affection for Bruce Springsteen. “As a kid from Jersey, Born to Run moved me deeply,” Christie wrote on the album’s 40th anniversary in 2015. “Bruce wrote about the places and people I knew. He wrote about our hopes and frustrations. He gave a voice to suburban kids like me, full of dreams and doubts. He was one of us.”
To finally put to rest the reports of a rift between the two, Christie posted a backstage photo of herself and Springsteen taken last week. “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true?” he wrote – based on a famous line from “The River”.
