Chicago’s ‘Secret River Show’ concept hits high note with musical parade on the Chicago River’s North Branch

For a moment on Saturday, the North Branch of the Chicago River was transformed into a strange and beautiful paradise.

Musician Risa Rubin gently strummed a purple harp atop a colorful, concrete pile on the water.

The soft currents seemed to slow to the pace of Rubin’s mellow tunes. A rapt audience sat silently nearby in kayaks, as well as above and below the Belmont Avenue Bridge in Avondale.

At one point, someone waved a large, plastic, finger-shaped flag in the breeze.

It was the beginning of “The Great River Parade,” a larger-scale installment in musician Ben Kinsinger’s series of “Secret River Shows.” Despite being delayed more than two hours by rain, the concert was warmly received by the dozens who gathered to watch once the sun reappeared.

“I want them to take away a sense of freedom, a sense of delight in music, and delight in the nature that is around us,” said Kinsinger, who performs in the band Lawrence Tome. “There is beautiful nature here in Chicago, and the river is part of that. And the more eyes we get on the river, the more that we can also pass legislation that then helps restore it to a more natural haven for the herons and the ducks and the turtles, and people can enjoy it.”

Launched stealthily in 2022, Kinsinger’s not-so-secret river shows now draw hundreds. And with the help of a $5,000 grant from the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, he planned to expand the concept Saturday. Instead of entertaining solely at the Belmont Avenue Bridge, bands would also play on a floating stage near the Riverview Pedestrian Bridge at West Addison Street and the Wild Mile Chicago floating eco-park. They would sail between stages in decorated boats.

Due to the weather, the musicians had to skip performing at the first location. But the event successfully retained the charm, DIY spirit and communal nature that its fans have come to expect.

“What I like about it the most is it’s all sorts of different people,” said Shravan Raghuram, 26, of Avondale, who stuck around after the delay. “At DIY shows, there are usually one or two kinds of demographics. But with these river shows, I’ve noticed there are people that look different, and are from different places and of different ages. It’s a completely unique experience. It’s kind of the only thing in Chicago that’s like this.”

Other groups waiting through the rain got to know each other, sharing cookies and drinks. Among them were two women who were both celebrating birthdays with family and friends.

“It’s been a rough year for me, and I was looking for something that seemed a little extra,” said Jennifer Graville Bricker, who turned 45 on Friday. “Also, I really love live music.”

Of waiting through the rain, she said, “I just couldn’t give up on it. I couldn’t think of a good Plan B.”

Celebrating her 50th birthday on Saturday was Betsy Carlson of Andersonville.

“It’s just fun to check out something like this because it’s not your typical Chicago anything,” she said.

The parade featured bands of several genres, including punk, mariachi and “sad cowboy,” which is what Kinsinger calls Lawrence Tome’s music. The harp wasn’t the only rare instrument that made an appearance; one musician also played a gong.

In addition to supporting the event, the city grant also allowed Kinsinger to record a new album, “King of the River.” Lawrence Tome is not just a band name, but a mythological character Kinsinger portrays — sometimes while wearing a mask featuring a giant eyeball.

“He’s been around for a lot longer than I have,” said Kinsginger, 34, of Roscoe Village. “Some say that he was born in Atlantis like 10,000 years ago. But no one’s around who can testify.”

Kinsinger’s parade attracted another Chicago character, the Great LakeJumper. Known for jumping in the lake nearly every day, Daniel O’Conor said he was considering jumping into the river during the event.

He also said he admired Kinsinger’s gumption as the organizer of the river shows.

“It’s just the amazing can-do attitude of Chicagoans,” O’Conor said. “We can dream it, and we’ll build it, and we’ll do it.”