Jon Landau, who manages Bruce Springsteen, has dismissed reports that the rock star and ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie had a falling out.
Let’s start at the beginning of this story. A video from a May 14 concert went viral and started the rumors. The clip captured Christie with his hand up for a high-five during “10th Avenue Freeze-Out” at Barclays Center, and it showed Springsteen walking past him without contact.
“Current stories claiming a break in the friendship between Bruce and Chris Christie are absurd,” Landau told Rolling Stone. “We’ve all been friends for years, Chris was attending his 180th show, standing at the side of the stage as our guest. And we hope to see him at our next 180 shows, as our guest. Period.”
The moment unfolded during a concert tradition. Springsteen often ventures into the crowd during the song. The video shows the musician turned away from the ex-governor and concentrated on his performance. Earlier in the song, Springsteen faced Christie and said, “Come on, gov.”
The clip proliferated across social media platforms over the weekend, and headlines surfaced at a bevy of outlets, making drama out of the incident. Many interpreted the moment as proof of friction between the two men.
Their politics differ, but music has a way of bringing people together.
Despite their political differences, Christie remains a fan of the musician’s work. “As a kid from Jersey, Born to Run spoke to me,” Christie wrote regarding the album’s 40th anniversary in 2015, according to Rolling Stone. “Bruce wrote of the places and the people I knew. He wrote about our hopes and frustrations.”
Christie posted a backstage photo with Springsteen from the past week, and that was his way to squash the speculation. “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true?” he wrote, referencing a line from “The River.” The photo shows the two smiling and standing next to each other in a selfie pose.
The May 14 show marked Christie’s 180th time attending a Springsteen performance, so you could say he’s a real fan.