On August 8, 2004, a Chicago River tour boat was covered in trash as it passed under the Kinsie Street Bridge.
Today, the incident has become infamous in Chicago. But because it happened before the age of smartphones, it’s still a surprising story to many — especially when they learn the culprit was none other than the Dave Matthews Band.
As we prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of the Dave Matthews band poop incident, let’s take a look back at what really happened that day.
During the summer, architectural tours run along the Chicago River on open-air boats. On August 8, 2004, an estimated 120 people were on one such tour when the Dave Matthews Band tour bus decided to dump its septic tank on the Kinsie Street Bridge, leaving two-thirds of the passengers covered in feces and waste.
One person on the boat when the incident occurred described the scene to Block Club Chicago as “like a Monty Python skit” with tourists covered in feces starting to vomit in disgust. At the time, the Chicago Tribune reported that no one knew who was responsible for dumping the feces.
It was later discovered that Dave Matthews’ band driver, Stefan Wohl, was responsible for the decision to empty the 800-pound septic tank. He eventually pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and discharging a pollutant into a water source and was sentenced to 150 hours of community service, a $10,000 fine, a payment to Friends of the Chicago River, an environmental organization, and 18 months of probation.
The band also agreed to start keeping a log of when their bus emptied the septic tank and later paid $200,000 to the State of Illinois in a settlement.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.