Hello, everyone. This is Andrew and you're listening to Simplified Speech, our series that features

clear, natural, and easy to understand English conversations about everyday life. It's perfect for

intermediate level learners who want to improve their fluency, strengthen their listening skills,

and expand their vocabularies.

Guys, I've got a question for you.

What's the most unforgettable concert you've ever been to?

I've been to so many concerts that, to be honest, it's hard for me to answer this question,

but I'm going to try to today.

In just a moment, I'll be joined by Indiana, who many of you know as one of our study guide writers and the host of our Tuesday small group speaking classes.

And we're going to talk all about this. We're going to share some stories about the best

concerts we've ever been to. And you know, learning English isn't just about mastering vocabulary and

grammar. It's also about understanding the cultural fabric, the shared experiences, pop culture

references, and stories that connect English speakers. And while my parents might not know

about every band reference that we'll be

making in this episode, millennials, especially millennials who grew up in North America, would

absolutely recognize most of these musical groups that we'll talk about here today. And it kind of

reminds me of my own language learning journey with Korean,

and probably you guys can relate to this as well. There's been moments where I could follow a

conversation linguistically, but I felt completely lost because I missed an important

cultural reference that was mentioned in a conversation.

So it really just goes to show that learning a language is about learning the pop culture

and the cultural references of the people who speak that language as well.

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