Chicago Marks 20 Years of Dave Matthews Band Dumping 'Disgusting' 800 Lbs. of Human Waste in River

Mar. 15, 2025

Dave Matthews performs with Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden in November 2023.Photo:Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage

Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage

Chicagoans today are remembering the sickeningDave Matthews Bandincident from 20 years ago that got regrettably flushed into history forever. That’s right, #poopgate.

Thursday, Aug. 8, marks the 20-year anniversary of the 2004 incident in which a driver (Stefan Wohl) for the band’s tour bus unceremoniously dumped 800 lbs. of human waste from its septic tank onto Chicago’s Little Lady boat passing under the Kinzie Street Bridge.

Dozens who were onboard the sightseeing boat and many from the city still shudder at the mention of the messy mistake that they, asFOX 32 Chicagoanchor Sylvia Perez puts it, “would like to forget.”

The outlet recalled that Dave Matthews Band — known for their environmental activism — “created a foul footnote in Chicago music history” that fateful day, but the city continues to revisit it as a cautionary tale.

FOX 32 Chicago’s Dane Placko resurfaced his original 2004 footage reporting on the “sickening soaking” this week, noting that it earned the infamous bridge incident a commemorative plaque and a sticker that reads, “I survived Dave Matthews Band Poopgate 2004.”

“It was pretty… pretty disgusting,” Sonja Lund, the captain aboard Chicago’s Little Lady that day, said in an old interview. “I don’t even know if I could describe to you how disgusting it was.”

Dave Matthews Band performs at Summerfest in June 2023.PolkImaging/Penske Media via Getty

PolkImaging/Penske Media via Getty

Dave Matthews Band’s bus driver eventually pleaded guilty to the dumping on misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct and water pollution. According to theChicago Tribune, he was sentenced to 18 months of probation, 150 hours of community service and fined $10,000.

According to the outlet,Matthews, 57, continued to express remorse to the city of Chicago years after the incident, telling former WTMX radio host Cara Carriveau in a 2009 podcast interview, “I’ll apologize for that as long as I have to.”

“The bus driver lost his job, and I didn’t have my finger on the button, but it was one of our buses —wasn’t mine — but it was one of the buses in my employment, and so I feel bad about it,” he added. “It would be funnier if it was anyone else but me.”

Currently, Dave Matthews Band is on their summer tour, which wraps up in Washington on Sept. 1. They’re also scheduled to perform at New York’s Farm Aid festival later that month.

A dance party at Hideout Chicago is marking the city’s 20-year anniversary of the dumping on Thursday with asold-out eventcalled “Don’t Drink the Water.” Meanwhile, the city’s sports team mascotscommemorated the occasion with a viral video.

source: people.com