We here at Sidewalk Hustle are die hard music fans, and as such have always sought out the best seats in the house. Before we were in the photo pit, we were front row centre, cheering and singing along to all our favourite songs. More often than not our ability to get the best seats, first, was because of our American Express Card and its Front Of The Line program. We’ve used this benefit to score tickets to awesome shows from Kanye West to Arctic Monkeys, and Arcade Fire to Queens of the Stone Age. When it comes to actually getting the concert ticket you actually want we rely on American Express’ Front Of The Line.
What’s super cool about the Front Of The Line program, is that it originated in Canada 25 years ago, and spread across the world like P2P file sharing, with a pre-sale for Broadway favourite Phantom Of the Opera. Remember that show? Like many others, that double disc soundtrack was on repeat from the moment we left the theatre over twenty years ago. Considered their gold standard for entertainment access, Front Of The Line is all about opening doors to great events, where every moment becomes a lasting memory. A great example of the program’s huge success was the most recent One Direction show in which the Front Of The Line program allowed more than 50% of their screaming fans access to tickets, fast, using their American Express Cards.
Recently American Express has been evolving its access program to Invites – a global program that encompasses Front of the Line and American Express Delights. Through Amex Invites, Cardmembers get a chance to experience music, dining, culture, film, sport and fashion through a series of inspiring special events and offers. Even when you’re travelling, you won’t miss an opportunity to experience some culture, since Cardmembers can take advantage of presale and reserved tickets exclusively through Ticketmaster online.
We love music and travel the world to experience it, but we also enjoy amazing dining experiences and food (remember that time Hawley won the pintxo competition at Taste of Toronto), having a good laugh at a comedy show, and attending the hottest movie premieres, and Front Of The Line helps us do just that.
We had a chance to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the program a couple of weeks ago at the John Legend concert at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto. Starting with a delicious meal catered by Roncesvalles BBQ restaurant Barque, we enjoyed a few drinks in the Amex Lounge on site at the Amphitheatre, before heading into our cushy box seats for a romantic performance that kept us swaying the night away.
To keep the celebration going, this summer Amex Canada has been running a celebratory social campaign on their Twitter rewarding both Amex Cardmembers and non-Cardmembers alike to share their best entertainment experiences to be entered to win a chance to experience the Front Of The Line program for themselves at an awesome show! So be sure to follow @AmexCanada and answer their daily contest question using the hashtag #FOTL25 to join in the celebration and keep this amazing program alive for another 25 years!
photo by Tom Pandi