Talking about live events
B2 · 45–55 min · Apex English
"Music is the shorthand of emotion."— Leo Tolstoy
Colloquial English — real, unscripted voices
Colloquial English gives you a break from the textbook voice. You'll listen to three Londoners at normal speed — with idioms, fillers and connected speech — reviewing the best live event they've ever been to. Concerts, comedy, chaos, tears and confetti.
Live-event bingo
Tick (✓) anything true for YOU. Then find a partner with the SAME tick and ask: "Tell me about it!"
What do you think you'll hear?
You'll hear three short interviews. Predict which words you'll probably hear — and which you won't.
(Spoiler: penguin, opera and dinosaur are not mentioned — everything else is.)
Three Londoners, three unforgettable shows
Listen once for gist, then again for detail.
A. Listen for gist
- In one word, what kind of live event does each speaker describe?
- Which speaker's event nearly went WRONG before it went brilliantly?
- Which speaker admits their favourite band is unfashionable?
- Which speaker had waited YEARS for the chance to see the act live?
- What single idea connects all three answers?
B. Listen for detail
- Speaker 1: which song made the crowd go silent, and how did the speaker feel?
- Speaker 1: how do they describe getting the tickets and the price?
- Speaker 2: where was the gig, and how many people were in the room?
- Speaker 2: what happened after the comic 'bombed'?
- Speaker 2: what argument do they make about live events vs. streaming?
- Speaker 3: what visual detail from the show do they remember?
- Speaker 3: what emotional moment do they mention?
- Speaker 3: would they go again?
The return of live music — an Arts & Culture report
Source: VOA Learning English — Arts & Culture (adapted) · Adapted from public-domain VOA Learning English format · spoken at slower pace
A short report in the VOA Learning English style: why live concerts have come back bigger than ever. Listen once without the transcript.
Tip: listen ONCE for gist (general meaning), then again with the transcript hidden for detail. Open the transcript only for a third listen.
1. Listen for gist
- In ONE sentence, what is the main finding of the report?
- How big were ticket sales in 2025, and how does that compare to 2019?
- Which age group is spending the most on live events?
2. Listen for detail
- What happened to live music during the pandemic?
- According to Dr Chen, WHY have concerts come back so strongly?
- What does Dr Chen call this new trend?
- How do younger fans behave differently, according to the report?
- Who is the VOA reporter's voice?
3. Glossary
- on the road
- travelling for work, especially musicians on tour
- record (adj.)
- the highest ever
- in person
- physically present, not on a screen
- gather (v.)
- come together in a group
📄 Show full transcript
From VOA Learning English, this is the Arts and Culture report.
For two years during the pandemic, live music went almost completely silent. Concert halls closed. Festivals were cancelled. Musicians who had spent their entire careers on the road suddenly had nowhere to go.
But now, according to a new report from the International Live Music Association, concerts are back. And they are bigger than ever before. Ticket sales in 2025 reached a record thirty-three billion dollars worldwide. That is more than double what the industry earned in 2019.
Doctor Marcus Chen, who studies the live entertainment industry, says the reason is simple. People missed each other. They missed the feeling of being in a room with two thousand strangers, all singing the same song at the same time. Streaming a concert on your phone, he explains, is not the same experience at all.
The report also found that younger fans, people between eighteen and twenty-five, are spending more on live events than any previous generation. They may not buy albums. But they will save for months to see their favourite artist in person, just once.
Dr Chen calls it the return of the shared moment. In a world where most of our entertainment now happens alone, on small screens, a live show is one of the few times we still gather together. And, it seems, we are willing to pay for that.
That's the Arts and Culture report. I'm Anna Matteo.
4. Discuss in pairs
- Do you agree that a live concert is fundamentally different from a streamed one? Why / why not?
- Would you save for months to see one artist live? Who would it be?
- What is the 'shared moment' you remember most from a live event?
Crack the colloquial code
Match each expression from the interview to its meaning. Tap to check.
- hands down
- an absolute nightmare (to get)
- cost a small fortune
- the atmosphere was electric
- get goosebumps
- bear with me
- bomb (a gig, a joke)
- riff on (someone / something)
- you can't stream that
- next level
- there wasn't a dry eye in the house
- know how to put on a show
- in a heartbeat
- blew me away
Use it
Complete each sentence with one expression from the box.
- Best gig I've ever been to, ___ — no contest.
- The tickets were ___ — I refreshed the site for an hour.
- When she hit the final note, I got proper ___.
- Say what you like about the band — they really ___ a show.
- Would I go again? ___.
Linking in fast speech
When people rave about a gig, they speak fast and consonants glue onto vowels: "an‿amazing‿atmosphere". The ‿ shows where the sounds link. Don't overdo it — but you MUST recognise it.
| Written | Spoken (linked) |
|---|---|
| an amazing atmosphere | a‿n_amazing‿atmosphere |
| the show sold out | the_show_sold‿out |
| it was absolutely electric | it_woz‿absolutely‿electric |
| I've never seen anything like it | I've never seen‿anything‿like‿it |
| a once-in-a-lifetime experience | a wonce‿in_a lifetime‿experience |
| it blew me away | it_blew_me‿away |
| a completely packed venue | a completely packed‿venue |
| the crowd went absolutely wild | the_crowd_went‿absolutely wild |
Tip: the ‿ isn't a real letter — it's just there to help your eyes see the link. In writing, keep the words separate.
Your turn (solo): review a live event
Solo task — record a 90-second voice review of the best live event you've ever been to (concert, match, festival, theatre). You MUST use at least FIVE expressions from section 4. Play it back and tick the ones you actually used.
- Where, when, who with.
- Open with a sensory hook: sound, light, crowd noise.
- Use "the atmosphere was electric", "I got goosebumps".
- Slow down on the ONE moment you'll never forget.
- End with a verdict: "hands down the best", "in a heartbeat".
- Play back, tick expressions. Aim for ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.
TikTok-style hot take — 30 seconds
Now record a 30-second hot take: "Is going to a live event actually worth the money in 2026?" Take a clear side. Use at least THREE expressions from section 4 and finish with a one-line verdict.
Write a mini gig review (120 words)
Write a short review for a music/culture blog: describe ONE live event you've been to (or would love to). Open with a sensory hook, use at least three colloquial expressions from section 4, and finish with a one-line verdict.
"The bass hit before the first note did. Fifteen thousand of us, packed into the O2, phones down for once. When the opening chord landed, the atmosphere was absolutely electric — proper goosebumps. They know how to put on a show. Hands down the best gig I've been to this year. Would I go again? In a heartbeat."
Exit ticket
One expression I want to start using.
One expression I'm still not 100% sure about.
One live event I'll review this week using it.
Units 6 & 7 · Colloquial English — Quick check
10 questions · 70% to pass · instant feedback after you submit.
Q1.'The atmosphere that night was absolutely electric.' The speaker means it was…
Q2.'When she started singing, I got goosebumps.' 'Goosebumps' are…
Q3.'Best gig I've ever been to, hands down.' 'Hands down' means…
Q4.'The comedian totally bombed for ten minutes.' To 'bomb' on stage means to…
Q5.'The tickets were an absolute nightmare to get.' This means they were…
Q6.'It cost a small fortune, but zero regrets.' The speaker is saying…
Q7.'The production was next level.' 'Next level' here means…
Q8.'There wasn't a dry eye in the house.' This means…
Q9.'I'd go again in a heartbeat.' 'In a heartbeat' means…
Q10.Which sounds MOST natural when reviewing a gig to a friend?
0/10 answered