A Facebook community for Bruce Springsteen fans has closed after political arguments increasingly overshadowed discussion of his music. The group, called Spring-Nuts, had been running for more than a decade and had around 18,000 members.
Founders Julie and Howie Chaz said in a statement posted Nov. 8 that growing political divisions had reached their online community. Discussions that were meant to involve respectful disagreement, they said, had too often turned into personal attacks, bullying and hateful remarks.
The group’s closure followed Springsteen’s recent endorsement of Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed. Howie Chaz said the endorsement was especially disappointing to the founders, who described themselves as proud Jews.
Chaz criticized El-Sayed’s past association with streamer Hasan Piker, alleging that Piker had made offensive comments about the Sept. 11 attacks. He also referred to El-Sayed’s response to a March attack on a Michigan synagogue, saying he believed El-Sayed had tried to rationalize the violence. These were Chaz’s characterizations of the events.
Springsteen has been increasingly vocal about politics. Earlier this year, he toured North America with the E Street Band and guitarist Tom Morello on the “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour, which was announced in response to President Donald Trump and the “No Kings” protests.
When announcing the tour in February, Springsteen described the moment as dark and dangerous, but urged people not to lose hope. He said the shows would celebrate and defend American democracy, freedom, the Constitution and the country’s ideals, and invited people with differing beliefs to attend.
Howie Chaz said the group’s administrators had struggled to balance respect for Springsteen’s right to express his views with their effort to keep the fan community welcoming. He also said some members had taken it upon themselves to decide who belonged in the E Street community.
The founders said they did not believe Springsteen meant to make fans feel unwelcome. They thanked him and the E Street Band for the music and experiences that had shaped their lives, adding that Springsteen’s songs had accompanied many of their most meaningful moments.
The group’s annual Seaside Serenade and its podcasts are expected to continue under a new name, with a broader focus on music, Howie Chaz told the Asbury Park Press. Spring-Nuts will rebrand rather than continue as a Springsteen-focused group.
