by Ed Hersh, The Knickerbocker News, July 3, 1975

The best possible place to see and hear the Pointer Sisters would be a smoky, crowded nightclub, sitting at a small table with close friends over a few drinks.

Unfortunately, the huge Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is large and cavernous, and the ’30s nightclub ambience of the Pointer Sisters’ music just didn’t come across as effectively as it could have Wednesday night.

The Pointer Sisters come trucking out on stage a black, funky version of the Andrews Sisters, wailing their ’40s tunes and scat singing and well, they make quite a splash. But it’s almost too slick, too perfect.

They do a wide range of music, all expertly choreographed and rehearsed. They did a great scat singing version of Charlie Byrd’s and Dizzy Gillespie’s “Salt Peanuts”—their voices can take off in four different directions and meet at the same place and time.

Proclaiming “the country folk are here,” they did a real southern ballad, and did a marvelous Duke Ellington medley, including “Satin Doll.”

They ended up rocking the place with two of their big hits, “Yes We Can Can,” and another real smoker, “Chick on the Side.” They came back for an encore with “Wang Dang Doodle.”

The concert was inordinately short—the Pointer Sisters played for less than an hour—and it seemed just as they were warming up to the audience and I was warming up to their sound, the show was over.

The Pointer Sisters came to the fore about the same time as Bette Midler began her ’40s shtick, but somehow they lack Bette’s presence and personality. It’s as if everything were choreographed so well in advance there’s no room for flexibility. And the size of the amphitheater didn’t let much personality come through either.

Jimmie Walker, who plays “J.J.” on the television show “Good Times,” started the show with his comedy act. His humor was mainly black-oriented (I got invited to a celebrity golf tournament, but they had to come up with something better than guest caddy) and the largely white audience seemed amused but not uproarious. He tended to have a rather condescending air that turned me off.

If you can catch the Pointer Sisters in another appearance, their music and style deserve to be heard and enjoyed. Just try to make sure there aren’t more than 100 other people there.

Views: 29