Stern Grove saved its biggest curtain call for last. The amphitheater was packed to the hillsides for the festival’s sold-out finale, tickets so scarce they’d been lottery-only for months. The day carried that classic San Francisco Summer flavor, cool, overcast foggy skies with that rare streak of sunlight breaking through as if to shine the spotlight on the ageless superstar.
Before the music began, Mayor Daniel Lurie rang the ceremonial bell to mark the end of the 87th season, a gesture that carried a sense of occasion. But the real celebration began when Ross emerged, sequined and radiant, commanding the stage with the kind of presence that has defined her six-decade career.
Her setlist was a journey through pop history: the disco strut of “I’m Coming Out” and “Upside Down,” the Motown classics “Baby Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love,” and the iconic chorus of “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Each song landed like a chapter in her story, reminding the crowd that Ross hasn’t just performed through eras, she helped define them.
Costume changes became part of the spectacle, with Ross cycling through emerald and blush gowns, each look accented by feathered boas that swirled with her every move. She was playful as much as she was regal, inviting her daughter to join her for a few songs in one of the afternoon’s most touching turns.
As the afternoon slipped back into fog, Ross launched into “Ease on Down the Road,” the hillside crowd rising to meet her with a full-throated sing-along. The mist settled like stage smoke, rolling in for the grand finale of “I Will Survive” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
It wasn’t just the end of another Stern Grove season. It was a reminder that Diana Ross doesn’t merely belong to music history, she continues to write it.
