Pointer Sisters
Stern Grove
August 10, 2025
Photos by Paul Piazza
The Pointer Sisters recently headlined an amazing late season show at Stern Grove in San Francisco. The beautiful, one of a kind outdoor venue had its very first show in 1932, headlined by the San Francisco Symphony, and the Sunday music sessions have continued and evolved into the amazing summer Stern Grove Festival series that continues to this day.
This was a special event because of the local angle. The Pointer Sisters originally started in Oakland. The trio achieved massive mainstream success in the 70s and 80s with a long string of hits.
Sisters June and Bonnie began performing in small clubs as a duo in 1969 and in 1972 their sister Ruth joined them to form the trio. The group’s hit cover of the Bruce Springsteen song “Fire” propelled them into the stratosphere in 1979 and that was followed by unparalleled success with songs like “He’s So Shy,” “Slow Hand,” “I’m So Excited” and “Neutron Dance,” along with a string of others.
June, the youngest sister, died of cancer in 2006 and was replaced by Ruth’s daughter Issa. Sadako Pointer joined the group in 2009 and they often toured as a quartet or a rotating trio with one member absent. Both Anita and Ruth battled drug addiction throughout the years. When Anita retired in 2015 due to poor health, the group continued on as the trio they are today. Anita passed away in 2022.
So in 2025, with 78 year-old Ruth at the helm, and Issa and Sadako going strong, the group was set to take it to Stern Grove. And that’s what they did.
On a grey San Francisco afternoon, the trio came out blazing. Led by the regal Ruth, the trio brought out all the big hits backed by a very sharp band.
Moving in sync, shouting out Oakland and leading massive singalongs, the Sisters had it going in full-effect. By the end of their 11-song set, the audience exited with looks of pure joy, spending a good portion of the show singing and dancing along with Ruth and the other ladies. Kudos to Ruth for being able to nail so many dance moves as she approaches the beginning of her eighth decade.
Opening the show was Lyrics Born (aka Tom Shimura), the Japanese-American rapper who also hails from the East Bay. Lyrics Born and his band featured his wife Joyo Velarde on soulful vocals and the great guitarist Ben Misterka.
The group, which also featured the Con Brio horns Brendan Liu (trumpet) and Marcus Stephens (saxophone), played a strong handful of new songs from the latest and reportedly final Lyrics Born album called “Goodbye Sticky Rice.”
Lyrics Born performed some of their great new songs from the new record including “Take It 2 Far” and “Can We Still Be Friends.” There also was the live debut of the song “Shades of Jade” from the new record as well. Naturally, they dipped into some of their all-time classics like “Callin’ Out,” “I Like it I Love It” and “Same But Different” during their energetic opening set.
