Still Woozy Concert 7/12/25
Concert location: Lena Horne Bandshell, Brooklyn NY
Sunset, 70s, and a light breeze on a Saturday night in NYC have the same soft yet energetic hum as Still Woozy’s performance. Brains are off and good vibes are on. Still Woozy came to New York for Celebrate Brooklyn, one of the latest stop on his Loveseat Tour with Kate Bollinger. BRIC (formerly Brooklyn Information and Celebration) puts on Celebrate Brooklyn, a free concert series in Prospect Park, every summer for the past 47 years. This show was a benefit with a $30 to $55 ticket (not including my upsold purchase) to benefit the free programing.
Still Woozy is someone that you want to see outside on a summer night. The Lena Horne Bandshell is well set up with easy entrance/exit, and free water. There is standing general admission in front of the bandshell as well as the option to bring blankets for the hilly lawn a bit further back from the stage. The space makes you feel like you stumbled upon a perfect clearing. The slanted amphitheater floor allows for easy viewing. String lights and tree cover overhead creates the aura of your own backyard (which Prospect Park basically is for many New Yorkers).
Kate Bollinger opened the show, although it took a while to understand who was playing without a solid introduction or branding from the band. I started out hopeful. Fast songs like “Pictures of You” were head banging and engaging. Slow songs, however, seemed to drag on for years and put the audience to sleep. A pretty standard 2025 indie band: breathy female vocals, a band that will only be able to rock out on stage and not in the studio and little movement or audience engagement. Overall a solid opener and a good build up for the main event but nothing to add to your next playlist.
Still Woozy (Sven Eric Gamsky) and co entered one by one, including Harry Terrell on drums, and Tani Kahn (solo act Legwurk) and Caleb Buchanan sharing bass, guitar and synth. The stage set up was refreshing. Emphasizing their collaboration, a long platform held the instrumental members on equal footing and visibility. Sven had free reign of the stage space below, using every square foot with high energy. There was minimal set design but stage pieces like giant flowers were used as props. Lighting was perfect - major credit to the crew team at the bandshell. Color choices and timing always fit the energy even if it didn’t match the sentiment of the song.
The setlist was a solid mix of old and new songs. The crowd did not seem like dyer fans, so singable songs were well placed. Sven often looked to the audience to sing lyrics (ego?), only to be met with silence. This is to be expected for a cheap ticket outdoor concert and the silence did not phase him for one second. The band gelled on stage with highlights including “Frida Kahlo” (electric), “Windows” (engaging), and (my personal favorite) “Kenny”. The guitar solo by Buchan on “That’s Life” was extraordinary. One of the most original solos I’ve heard in a minute: fitting to the song but also an added style of easy psychedelic flair. Unfortunately the only place sound mixing seemed to fail were the guitar solos. They just couldn’t amplify the range loud enough for full enjoyment. On Spotify, Still Woozy’s sound is low-fi/psych-pop, produced in the studio to get his signature sound. It transfers surprisingly effortlessly to the stage. The performance highlighted the instrumentals. It can still be enjoyed chilling in the back with a pre-roll (me) or on your feet up front screaming (also me).
The most impressive aspect of the night was the talent of the band. Kahn and Buchanan switched playing bass and guitar on numerous songs. Both got their chance at solos, and neither seemed like a step down when switching up instruments to make way for the other. The band moved around each other effortlessly, often standing near who they were playing with musically or moving to surround Terrell on the drums. They created one effortless sound and accented each other at every turn.
Tani Khan liked to join Sven on center stage, perhaps due to her experience as a solo artist. She shared with the crowd that Terrell (her brother) had recently become a father. She also took her solos and dance moves off the raised platform moving across the stage trying to capture the audience. She has a similar eccentric vibe as Sven but lacks the same easy lovability. I’m not sure he was always aware of where she was or thrilled by what she was doing. During the encore, she led the band in an impressive four in a row candy toss, where Sven seemed more concerned with timing and keeping energy up. The audience loved it so Sven didn’t have to worry long. But these are dynamics I can only speculate on as I really and truly do not know these people.
Crowd engagement seemed to play an important role to all members on stage. At times I caught myself rolling my eyes because their dance moves and comments were “too much” or “too goofy”. But in a serious world and one where we are always trying to look cool, goofiness is a welcome breath of fresh air. Somehow through the silly, sexiness prevailed. Sven or honestly any of the people on stage were not my type, but he was up there shaking his butt in our faces. It continued to be goofy because that’s who he is! And that’s the honest truth. Sometimes sex is goofy, we are all just people (think the Broad City episode “In Heat”). The vulnerability and unabashedness made the crowd only want to be more engaged.
The group timed audience participation well including claps, lyrics, and an impressively long crowd run by Sven himself. He ran from one side of to another with no security. It was probably intended to be short lived with him moving quickly but when stopped by an enthusiastic fan, Sven embraced and danced with him before moving on. In a day where musicians are stalked and bombarded, he showed no fear of his fans. I thought this showed either real character (or ego, jury is still out. But I’m choosing to be positive).
There is, however, no doubt in my mind that this is where Sven wanted to be that night. You could tell he wanted himself and us to be present in this moment. Later in the show, he asked the crowd if they were here with someone they loved and urged them to tell them. As a former Catholic, it felt a little bit like the “peace be with you” section of mass. But as an adult, concerts are my mass. And to his credit I was there with people I loved, new friends and old. It is always a pleasure to be able to share in something special and let people know what they mean to you.
Still Woozy’s endless positivity, creativity, and love mixed with just enough madness almost perfectly embodies summer in New York City. I would recommend catching him the next time he’s in town. Casual fans welcome, check your attitude at the door.
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