Dave Matthews Band
Image Source: slgckgc, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
What was the Accusation?
Dave Matthews Band faced public criticism after a tour bus leased by the band discharged human waste while crossing Chicago’s Kinzie Street Bridge on August 8, 2004. The waste fell through the bridge’s metal grating onto an open-air architectural sightseeing boat traveling on the Chicago River below. More than 100 passengers were aboard the boat, and many were exposed to the sewage. Band members were not on the bus when the dumping occurred.
The incident initially involved uncertainty over which bus was responsible. A band spokesperson said one of its drivers had denied involvement and that the band would cooperate with the investigation. Authorities subsequently used surveillance evidence to identify a bus driven by Stefan Wohl, who drove for band violinist Boyd Tinsley. Wohl later pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and discharging contaminants that caused water pollution. He received 18 months of probation and 150 hours of community service and was fined $10,000.
The controversy presented an additional reputational problem because Dave Matthews Band had publicly associated itself with environmental causes. The band responded with expressions of concern and responsibility, charitable contributions and a financial settlement. It donated $50,000 to Friends of the Chicago River and $50,000 to the Chicago Park District. In 2005, the band also agreed to pay $200,000 to settle the State of Illinois’ lawsuit over the dumping and took measures intended to prevent another improper disposal of waste from its tour buses.
The incident became a particularly durable part of Chicago popular culture. Anniversary coverage has repeatedly revisited what is sometimes called “Poopgate,” while some of the people and businesses connected to the sightseeing cruise have emphasized that the episode was traumatic rather than humorous. Dave Matthews continued to address the incident years later. In a 2009 interview, he said he would continue apologizing as long as necessary, acknowledged that the responsible bus was operating for the band and expressed continuing regret over what happened.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Mortification, Corrective Action, Compensation, Defeasibility, Bolsterin
Audio
Dave Matthews interview on the podcast Cara’s Basement
Transcript
Dave Matthew Band Official Statement on their Website (8/29/04):
To the people of Chicago and our fans:
Given comments being made in some of the emails we have received from fans and the comments we have seen in some of the media, we believe it is important to clarify where we stand regarding the bus dumping incident in Chicago.
Hopefully this will resolve any misunderstandings because we want everyone to know that we care deeply about what happened to the people on the boat that day, which was terrible, and the damage that occurred to Chicago’s environment. We are not attempting to avoid any responsibility we may have for the incident. We love Chicago, we love the city and we love the people. It is one of our favorite cities to play. We would never do anything to offend the people of Chicago or any of our fans. If we were responsible for what happened, we will work quickly to make amends, with the people on the boat and with Chicago.
We have fully and voluntarily cooperated with the Chicago authorities since the moment we heard about the incident. We provided access to our drivers and our tour manager immediately, the band was using five different buses in Chicago at that time and we provided the license plate numbers of all of them, we provided photographs of any of the buses they requested and we offered to supply DNA evidence to determine if one of our buses was the bus involved. In short, we have worked with the Chicago authorities in every way we can to determine whether one of our buses was the bus involved in the incident.
Our driver was the only person on the bus during the period relevant to this matter, and he has told us that he had nothing to do with this incident. We have not yet seen any of the other evidence in this case, and we have a few narrow but critical questions related to what we have seen of the evidence in the media. We are working with the Chicago authorities to resolve these open issues as quickly as possible so this matter can be closed.
What happened that Sunday is extremely important to us. It touches on many of the core principles we have supported and tried to live up to, not simply environmental principles and principles of accountability, but more importantly simple principles of humanity. What happened to the people on the boat is awful and our hearts go out to them.
But please understand another principle we are committed to is loyalty and respect for the people who we work with. We are proud that many of our crew have worked with us since the band’s earliest years. It has become a family and that family is very important to us. This driver has been working with us for over 5 years. In that time he has earned our respect and trust and on a personal level he has become part of the family. In light of that, we take his statements seriously and ask for everyone’s patience until we resolve our concerns. We are working to resolve these as quickly as possible. And to repeat, if it was our bus that did it, we will take responsibility immediately.
Sources
Block Club Chicago. (2025, August 8). 21 years later, Dave Matthews bus poop incident makes Chicagoans laugh — and groan. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/08/21-years-later-dave-matthews-bus-poop-incident-makes-chicagoans-laugh-and-groan/
CBS News. (2004, August 25). Foul winds for Dave Matthews Band. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/foul-winds-for-dave-matthews-band/
CBS News. (2005, March 9). Dave Matthews’ driver: I dumped. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dave-matthews-driver-i-dumped/
Feurer, T., Harrington, A., Kozlov, D., Machi, S., Thompson, A., & Cook, B. (2024, August 8). Remembering the disgusting Dave Matthews Band bus incident 20 years later. CBS Chicago. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/dave-matthews-band-bus-septic-tank-tour-boat-chicago-river-bridge-anniversary/
Riley, M. (2009, June 3). Dave Matthews still apologizing for “Poopgate.” NBC Chicago. https://www.nbcchicago.com/local/dave-matthews-still-apologizing-for-poopgate/1882750/
Valigorsky, A. (2024, August 8). Chicago marks 20 years of Dave Matthews Band dumping ‘disgusting’ 800 lbs. of human waste in river. People. https://people.com/chicago-marks-20-years-of-dave-matthews-band-dumping-800-lbs-human-waste-river-8692544