REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) attends the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce 78th annual
Politico New Jersey revealed Christie's Springsteen fan posts in a story published on Monday. The posts included Christie's tale of meeting his rock idol on a plane when he was returning to New Jersey with his wife after attending one of Springsteen's concerts in January 2000.
"He was by himself--no Patty, no bodyguards--just Bruce, a baseball cap, jeans jacket, NY Times and Minneapolis Star-Tribune. I immediately go off the deep end," Christie wrote.
"We walked back to see Bruce," he added, "introduced ourselves and told him we had flown in for the show last night and were headed home. ... He was incredibly gracious, we chatted briefly about where we lived, etc., and then said good-bye and went back to our seats."
Once the plane landed, Christie said he approached Springsteen again and shared a story:
"I told him about the night he played Sandy at the Continental Arena. My 6 year old son Andrew and I were in the front row on tix we won in the KACF auction. Bruce had thrown him a pick earlier in the evening and acknowledged his energy at 11 PM during Land of Hope and Dreams. (He said, looking at my six year old son, 'He's still going?') He then introduced Sandy by pointing to my son and saying 'We're gonna send you home with a little lullaby.' As I finished this story in the jetway, Bruce said, 'That was your little guy?' I said yes and told him how much it meant to my son (he'll still calls Sandy 'his' song) and how much it meant to me. He said he remebered [sic] and called Andrew 'crazy' with a big grin and chuckle. He told me to tell Andrew he was glad he had such a good time and to come back again. I then asked Bruce if he could sign an autograph to Andrew and his 3 year old sister Sarah Anne (who had also been to 2 shows--one in Philly and one in Jersey). He was happy to do it and signed to both of them. He shook my hand, told my wife to make sure the kids got the autograph and wished us a Merry Christmas. His ride was waiting at the gate and he walked away. What an incredible time for me, a Bruce fan since 1976."
Christie's campaign spokeswoman confirmed to Politico New Jersey that the posts from the listserv, which were written in 1999 and 2000, came from the governor. Christie's enthusiasm for Springsteen is well known. He has attended more than 100 Springsteen concerts.
Christie's messages on the listserv included his observations from multiple concerts and a request to share recordings of shows. He described Springsteen as "the master." Read all of Christie's messages from the Springsteen listserv here.