On August 8, 2004, passengers aboard the luxury cruise boat Chicago’s Little Lady were treated to an estimated 800 pounds of human waste pouring down on them as they passed underneath the city’s Kinzie Street Bridge.
“There were some older people on there that had limited mobility,” explained one of the unfortunates who was on the boat that day. “They were doused from head to toe,” he continued. “Their hair was soaking wet. Literally covered in urine and feces.”
As it turns out, that was the exact time that a driver for the Dave Matthews Band decided to empty one of their tour bus’s septic tanks from atop the bridge—illegally, we might add. More than two-thirds of the boat’s 120 passengers were reportedly hit with the wastewater during the incident, which has since been dubbed “Poopgate.”
The band, known for its environmental activism, initially denied any wrongdoing and issued a statement claiming all of its buses were accounted for.
21 Years Ago, a Dave Matthews Band Tour Bus Dumped Sewage on a Boat Full of People
However, it was later determined that Stefan Wohl, who was a driver for the band’s violinist, Boyd Tinsley, was responsible for dumping the sewage off the bridge. Wohl acted alone, though, as Tinsley wasn’t riding with him at the time. A civil complaint against Wohl and the band was eventually filed in Cook County Circuit Court, accusing them of violating state environmental and nuisance laws and seeking $70,000 in fines.
Wohl pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months’ probation, 150 hours of community service, and a $10,000 fine. As part of the settlement, the Dave Matthews Band paid $200,000, some of which went toward a fund for environmental protection. They also donated $50,000 to the Friends of the Chicago River and an additional $50,000 to the Chicago Park District.
When asked about the situation in 2009, Matthews was quoted as saying, “I’ll apologize for that as long as I have to,” adding, “It would be funnier if it were anyone but me.”
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