Talk about bad timing
An iconic US rock band once found themselves facing a massive fine after their tour bus dumped 800 pounds of human waste onto tourists.
Picture this, it’s a warm summer’s day in the US city of Chicago and you’ve decided to spend the afternoon cruising along the Chicago river, taking in the sights and sounds of the city on the top deck of a sightseeing boat.
Sounds like a lovely afternoon right?
Unfortunately for the passengers onboard the Chicago’s Little Lady sightseeing boat, their trip ended up being a pretty, er s****y time.
The Kinzie bridge in Chicago (Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
On 8 August 2004, the sightseeing boat was talking a group of 120 passengers down the river, courtesy of the Chicago Architecture Centre, to see the buildings along the waterfront – a pretty routine route for the warmer months.
However as Chicago’s Little Lady passed under the Kinzie Street Bridge in the city’s downtown, they found themselves living through a a textbook example of the phrase ‘talk about bad timing’.
The boat’s passage under the bridge coincided with the same moment that a tour bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band passed overhead.
That afternoon, the bus was being driven by Stefan Wohl, who was the only person onboard at the time, driving towards a downtown hotel where the band were staying at the time.
As the bus passed over the bridge, Wohl emptied the bus’s waste tank at the very same moment the boat was sailing underneath.
The Dave Matthews Band performing live in 2023 (Taylor Hill/Getty Images for ABA)
Now this wouldn’t be an issue with most bridges, however, the Kinzie featured riveted grating, which allowed for rain and snow to pass through the bridge and minimising the risk of slippage.
Therefore when the boat passed under the bridge, the contents of the tour bus’s waste tank fell onto the passengers on the top viewing deck.
It’s reported that around 800 pounds of waste fell onto two thirds of the people onboard. Passengers included elderly people, children, infants and pregnant women.
The passengers hoping to learn about the architecture of Chicago’s downtown were, of course, upset to find themselves doused in ‘brownish-yellow sludge’ and naturally complained to the tour company, who were swiftly offered refunds while the boat was disinfected.
“The windows were open, it was a beautiful day, and we were driving, and all of a sudden the most deplorable smell hit us,” Lynn LaPlante recalled to CBS of the incident. “I think it’s become more of a touchstone, like a cultural or iconic Chicago touchstone now. I look at it with humour. I think it’s funny.”
An investigation into the event, of course, followed, with the band and their management being identified as the owners of the bus, with Wohl ultimately admitting to dumping the waste and received 18 months probation, 150 hours of community service and a $10,000 (£7,535) fine, paid to Friends of Chicago River.
Meanwhile, The Dave Matthews Band, who prosecutors said had cooperated in the investigation, agreed to pay $200,000 to State of Illinois in order to settle their case.
They also paid $50,000 to Chicago Park District and Friends of Chicago River respectively – with executive director, Margaret Frisbie, telling NBC Chicago last month that it ‘certainly contributed’ to the work they were doing to make people ‘think about the river differently’.
A spokesperson for First Lady Cruises told FOX 32: “There is certainly no joy in reliving the 2004 event that traumatized our passengers, crew and family businesses.
“Our companies have provided acclaimed experiences on Chicago’s waterways for more than 87 years, and we choose to not let what took place that day diminish our contributions in showcasing the city we love with the world.”
LADbible has contacted the band’s representatives and Chicago First Lady Cruises for further comment.
Featured Image Credit: Rich Polk/Getty Images/On Location CBS Chicago
