//Photo by Julia David

“Love is in the air tonight, Philly! Can you feel it?” Sven Gamsky, better known by his indie moniker Still Woozy, asks the crowd at the Highmark Skyline Stage at the Mann. It is 7PM, and we are standing between towering trees at the top of a hill overlooking the Philadelphia skyline. The sun is just beginning to sink into the horizon, painting the sky in orange and pink. Gamsky is standing with arms wide, bathed in indigo spotlights and surrounded by inflatable flowers. He entreats us all to hug those we came with and tell them we love them, because we “just don’t do it enough.” We obey, exchanging loving compliments, and allow Gamsky to guide us into his world of daydreams.

Moments earlier, MICHELLE, an NYC-based indie-pop collective, charmed the crowd with their layered harmonies and spunky choreography. Strutting around the stage in red outfits, they are the girl group revival we have always craved. The six-piece group performed their hits as well as songs from their new album, Songs About You Specifically, which they will tour solo this fall. 

With the audience warmed up, Gamsky dashes onto the stage to “Again,” the first track of his latest album, Loveseat, and does not stop moving for the duration of the set. His presence is absolutely electric: he bounces around the stage like a pinball, wiggling his entire body, strumming his guitar, all while maintaining vibrant vocals. Even when he sits briefly to play the piano, his legs bob along with the music. Some performers cool down a bit toward the middle of their concert to conserve energy for their epic closing, but not Gamsky. As he breezes through new tracks and favorites from his earlier releases, his energy and passion only seem to increase.  

The crowd soaks up Gamsky’s energy and directs it right back at him. By the time we get to “Lucy,” everyone’s in the groove. His bandmates are shaking their curls and shimmying their shoulders. Gamsky points the microphone to the audience, urging us to “sing this verse!” We excitedly fill in for Odie: “she could paint the sky like a photo.” The inflatable flowers smile down on us, as if to say: now we’re cooking.

It is not just Gamsky’s energy that is contagious – it is his appreciation for life itself. Loveseat is dripping with it: a love letter to his wife and new baby, the record thoughtfully explores the complexities of loving relationships. The authenticity of Gamsky's feelings shine through in his live performance– not just in his songs, but in the spaces between. He pauses before “Drake,” sharing with the crowd, “Philly, this is one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever been to. I usually play inside, but I love seeing trees! Make some noise if you love trees! They’re too good to us, the trees, they’re too good to us.” He is enthralled by everything, and his ability to share that enthusiasm with his crew and fans in real time is what makes the concert so uniquely memorable.

Gamsky and his band are clearly on the same wavelength. He is accompanied by Caleb Buchanan on bass and synth, Harry Terrell on drums, and Tani Kahn on guitar and keys, and everyone is adding their own flair and antics to the show. Gamsky crawls under Kahn (who also happens to be his sister-in-law) during her “Lava” guitar solo, and she sits on his back, riding him like a donkey. Buchanan jokes with some fans in the front of the crowd between songs. They all twirl around each other, and, off to the side, the tour manager and lighting crew are laughing and bobbing their heads. They are having so much fun that it does not feel like a performance anymore – they were just there to have a good time, and we were lucky enough to be present.

It comes time for the closer, and Gamsky selects “WTF.” There are yellow and purple lights gliding across the stage, and energy is somehow even higher than before. We belt out the chorus with him as he joins the grinding conga line his band just formed. The song ends on a high, and the crowd whoops and hollers as the performers wave their goodbyes and walk off the stage. 

The audience pleads for an encore, and Gamsky returns to perform “Rid of Me,” the closing power ballad of Loveseat. A single spotlight shines on him at the flower-covered piano as he croons the lyrics, and for the first time the whole night, the audience is silent. Gamsky leans back and closes his eyes while playing the bridge of the song, perhaps taking it all in or thinking of his wife and child. He proclaims the next line from the depths of his heart: “Well I love you still, through it all.” Time seems to slow down as he delivers the outro, and we all feel the weight of his longing. 

Refusing to end on a bittersweet note, Gamsky follows with “Goodie Bag,” one of his earliest and most popular songs to date. The crowd senses his shift in energy, and immediately returns to grooving. By the end of the track, we feel whole again, unsure what to do with so much love. It’s one thing to leave a concert in awe of the artist’s talent or thrilled by the opportunity to sing and dance with others, but it's quite rare to leave with overwhelming gratitude for life itself and the relationships we build. That is the power of Still Woozy.

Before exiting the stage, Gamsky thanks us again and promises never to forget us, and these moments. It’s safe to say that we won’t forget them either. 

// Julia David ‘26 is a staff writer for Record Hospital.