1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,200
Speaker 1: Let me tell you something, an outdoor concert is a

2
00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:09,800
great way to have a blast and get into the groove.

3
00:00:10,679 --> 00:00:14,640
That's where a lot of people enjoy the vibe and

4
00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:20,920
have a great timeh live music in the summer. Nothing

5
00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:22,120
beats it.

6
00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,839
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from

7
00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,679
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.

8
00:00:33,759 --> 00:00:39,119
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael

9
00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:44,399
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.

10
00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:50,719
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight sixty three.

11
00:00:51,759 --> 00:00:59,799
American Culture, Music and Festivals. Hello and welcome and thanks

12
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:05,599
for joining me for another episode of the Happy English Podcast. Well,

13
00:01:05,879 --> 00:01:11,920
it's summertime, the weather is warm, and the music's loud.

14
00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,760
Today we're diving into one of the best parts of

15
00:01:16,799 --> 00:01:24,239
American summer culture, music and festivals. There's just something about

16
00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:28,840
summer in the US that makes people want to be outside,

17
00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:36,719
especially with good food, good friends, and good music. And

18
00:01:36,879 --> 00:01:40,799
let me tell you we go big when it comes

19
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:47,079
to outdoor concerts and festivals. I mean one of the

20
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:51,400
most classic summer activities in the US is hitting up

21
00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:56,920
a concert at the park. Most cities and towns organize

22
00:01:56,959 --> 00:02:00,680
free concerts, and I mean literally in the park or

23
00:02:00,719 --> 00:02:04,719
at the beach. They set up a stage, sometimes a

24
00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:10,120
few food trucks or stands, and people bring lawn chairs, blankets,

25
00:02:10,159 --> 00:02:17,159
and snacks. It's relaxed, chill and very community focused. I

26
00:02:17,199 --> 00:02:20,560
remember going to a concert a few years back at

27
00:02:20,599 --> 00:02:25,120
the Beach in New York. It was Britt Floyd, a

28
00:02:25,159 --> 00:02:29,840
Pink Floyd tribute band. There were hundreds of people there

29
00:02:30,599 --> 00:02:36,240
chilling on the beach and enjoying some nostalgic music. And

30
00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,280
let me tell you, the full moon really made the

31
00:02:40,439 --> 00:02:46,439
atmosphere special. The vibe was so good. My friends and

32
00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:52,319
I really had a blast. Have a blast. When you

33
00:02:52,599 --> 00:02:57,319
have a blast, you have a good time. Like everyone

34
00:02:57,479 --> 00:03:01,240
had a blast at the concert, you can also say

35
00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:08,719
that something was a blast, like that concert was a blast. Yep.

36
00:03:09,879 --> 00:03:14,240
Live music on a summer night is always a blast,

37
00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:20,560
whether it's jazz, country, indie, or cover bands. There's something

38
00:03:20,719 --> 00:03:27,000
magical about listening to live music under the stars. Now,

39
00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:32,479
let's take it up a notch, because music festivals are

40
00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:37,840
a whole different thing. Music festivals usually last a day

41
00:03:38,039 --> 00:03:44,439
or even a few days, and feature multiple artists, multiple stages,

42
00:03:45,159 --> 00:03:49,520
and a crowd of thousands. Some of the biggest ones

43
00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:55,680
in the US are Coachella in California, Lollapalooza in Chicago,

44
00:03:56,080 --> 00:04:04,000
and Bonaru in Tennessee. We're talking major artists, huge crowds,

45
00:04:04,319 --> 00:04:09,800
food trucks, art installation, and yes, a lot of dancing

46
00:04:10,439 --> 00:04:15,400
in the heat. And let's be honest, sometimes these festivals

47
00:04:15,439 --> 00:04:19,199
can get a little wild. When going to a summer

48
00:04:19,319 --> 00:04:26,240
music festival, people really let loose, dancing, singing and just

49
00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,000
enjoying the moment. All right, let's talk about that phrase

50
00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:35,040
for a moment. Let loose. Let loose is a great

51
00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:39,920
phrasal verb that means to relax and completely have fun,

52
00:04:40,519 --> 00:04:46,560
no stress, no holding back. Like everyone was letting loose

53
00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:51,480
at the music festival and at the club afterwards. Jenny

54
00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,319
really let loose on the dance floor. She let loose.

55
00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:03,439
And speaking of dancing, dancing in public totally normal in

56
00:05:03,519 --> 00:05:09,000
the US, dancing at outdoor events is totally common, even

57
00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:15,279
if you're not a pro. People dance it concerts, street faars, parades,

58
00:05:16,079 --> 00:05:19,439
even in the grocery store parking lot if there's a

59
00:05:19,519 --> 00:05:24,279
band playing. The cool thing is nobody cares if you're

60
00:05:24,319 --> 00:05:28,000
a good dancer or not. You just go with the flow,

61
00:05:28,759 --> 00:05:34,240
enjoy the music and get into the groove. Get into

62
00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:38,519
the groove. There's another idiom for you. When you get

63
00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,800
into the groove, you relax and enjoy the rhythm or

64
00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,959
the flow of something, especially music. When I went to

65
00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:51,040
that concert at the beach, once the band started playing,

66
00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:56,839
everyone got into the groove. And at the dance club,

67
00:05:57,519 --> 00:06:01,160
Jack was pretty shy at first, but then he got

68
00:06:01,319 --> 00:06:07,040
into the groove. What a dancer. And sometimes even random

69
00:06:07,199 --> 00:06:10,879
strangers will dance with you. I think it's one of

70
00:06:10,879 --> 00:06:15,600
those only in America moments, and honestly, it's kind of awesome.

71
00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,600
Live music is really a big part of the summer

72
00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:25,399
music culture in the US. You'll also find lots of

73
00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:30,519
music festivals on the local level. These aren't just for

74
00:06:30,759 --> 00:06:37,040
big name artists. There are blues festivals, jazz weekends, Reggae

75
00:06:37,079 --> 00:06:43,560
in the Park, folk festivals, even eighties throwback nights. A

76
00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:49,519
lot of traveling carnivals also feature live music, including local

77
00:06:49,639 --> 00:06:56,160
music with an international theme like traditional Italian or Greek music.

78
00:06:57,319 --> 00:07:00,519
I mean, who wouldn't want to listen to some old

79
00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:06,600
Italian love songs while eating a nice cheese calzone. Yeah,

80
00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,560
it's not just about the music, it's the whole vibe.

81
00:07:11,279 --> 00:07:15,319
You're outside, the sun is shining, maybe you've got a

82
00:07:15,399 --> 00:07:19,160
lemonade or a hot dog in hand, and someone's playing

83
00:07:19,199 --> 00:07:23,759
your favorite song. Honestly, even if you don't know the band,

84
00:07:23,839 --> 00:07:28,319
you can still have a good time just soaking up

85
00:07:28,399 --> 00:07:32,839
the energy and speaking of good times, if you ever

86
00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:37,519
go to a music festival or outdoor concert, there's one

87
00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:43,319
slang word that sums it up. It's lit. When something

88
00:07:43,399 --> 00:07:50,360
is lit, it means it's amazing, exciting, or full of energy,

89
00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:56,279
like that concert at the Beach was totally lit. So

90
00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:00,959
what's the best concert or music event you've ever been

91
00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,279
to and what kind of music would make you get

92
00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:09,680
up and dance? Come tell me on Instagram at Happy

93
00:08:09,759 --> 00:08:13,160
English and Why, or leave a comment on the blog.

94
00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:19,000
As always, thanks for listening, and remember, the best way

95
00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,040
to remember English like this and any other word or

96
00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,680
phrase in English, is to take that word or phrase,

97
00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:29,399
write it in a sentence that's true for you or

98
00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:35,759
true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. And remember,

99
00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:39,720
why not check out my AI English tutor. It's a

100
00:08:39,759 --> 00:08:43,799
great way to practice your English, get answers and more

101
00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,519
twenty four to seven and it's all free. There's a

102
00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,960
link in the description where you are listening to this

103
00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:55,399
podcast right now? Check it out and if you like it,

104
00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,240
leave me a thumbs up there. Remember, learning an other

105
00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,679
language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and I'm

106
00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,679
here to help you on your journey.

107
00:09:09,519 --> 00:09:12,600
Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Happy English. Please

108
00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:17,240
visit myhappy english dot com. Show your support for Happy

109
00:09:17,279 --> 00:09:21,039
English by leaving us a review. Get English, Get happy,

110
00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:35,000
Happy English