A Facebook fan group built around Bruce Springsteen has shut down after its members turned on each other over politics, including the singer’s endorsement of Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed.
The group, called “Spring-Nuts,” had grown to roughly 18,000 members over more than a decade. Founders Julie and Howie Chaz said in a statement posted Sunday, Nov. 8, that the community increasingly struggled to stay focused on Springsteen’s music as online arguments grew bitter, according to the Asbury Park Press.
“As the world grew increasingly divisive, hostile, those tensions inevitably spilled into our little corner of the E Street world,” the Chazes wrote. “What should have been respectful differences of opinion too often deteriorated into personal attacks, bullying, insults, and some genuinely vile and hateful rhetoric.”
A tour built around politics
Springsteen spent much of this year touring North America with the E Street Band and guitarist Tom Morello on the “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour, which he framed as a response to President Donald Trump and the “No Kings” protest movement.
Announcing the tour in February, Springsteen said, “We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair – the cavalry is coming. We will be rocking your town in celebration and in defense of America – American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream – all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government in Washington, D.C.”
He added that the shows were open to “everyone, regardless of where you stand or what you believe in,” inviting fans to join what he called the “United Free Republic of E Street Nation.”
Managing a divided fan base
Howie Chaz said that as Springsteen grew “more outspoken about his politics,” group administrators faced a “difficult balancing act” between respecting the singer’s right to speak his mind and keeping the online community civil.
“How could we be a Bruce Springsteen fan community trying to protect that harmony and camaraderie and ignore messages and statements coming directly from the very artist who brought us all together,” Howie said.
The breaking point, according to the founders, came when Springsteen endorsed El-Sayed in November, calling him “a fighter for our American Constitution.” Howie Chaz criticized El-Sayed’s campaign ties, saying he had appeared alongside streamer Hasan Piker, whom Chaz accused of making “horrific statements that America deserved 9/11.”
“After a Michigan synagogue was attacked back in March, obviously an act of terrorism, Sayed rationalized it by saying ‘Hurt people hurt people’ standing right next to the antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker who made the despicable 9/11 statement,” Howie said.
Julie and Howie, who described themselves as “proud Jews,” said the endorsement was “deeply disappointing to us.” They added, “We certainly don’t believe Bruce intended for his message to make fans feel unwelcome. But very unfortunately, some of his fans appointed themselves the gatekeepers of who was and wasn’t worthy of belonging in the E Street community.”
What comes next
The group’s annual Seaside Serenade gathering and its Spring-Nuts podcast will continue, but under a new name and with a broader focus on music rather than Springsteen specifically, Howie told the Asbury Park Press.
Despite the shutdown, the Chazes said their gratitude toward Springsteen and the E Street Band remains unchanged. “One thing we want to make absolutely clear is that Julie and I can NEVER thank Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band enough for the decades of music, memories, inspiration, and absolute JOY they have brought into our lives,” Howie wrote on Facebook. “Bruce has been, and always will be, an enormous part of our personal story and journey.”
Representatives for Springsteen did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Fox News Digital.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login