I'd got free preview tickets booked a couple of weeks back to see American Pie: Reunion at the Printworks cinema 8 days before release. These were gained through fastidiously checking the awesome Martin Lewis Free Cinema Tickets Forum (I recommend at least one check per day), in this case because I'm a Virgin Mobile customer, usually anyone can get these tickets though!
The film turned out to be really fun and the best of the franchise since part one - I recommend to all and I'm very fussy with films! Make sure you go on Orange Wednesday though! A nice bonus, as with all free screenings, there were no adverts and the film started bang on time. To top it off, everyone had a free beautiful clear bag of ODEON branded popcorn on their seat! As I'd just had a big meal, I didn't eat it so took it home, and managed to grab about another 6 bags from empty seats on the way out! Wanted more but did feel a bit naughty with my bulging sack! Woopee!
After this the night got even better. A couple of hours before the film, en-route to the city, I was partaking in my new favourite freebie-catching trick of typing "free Manchester" into Twitter which yielded only my 2nd instance of perhaps the most heavyweight score of gratis entertainment in the form of free tickets to an ARENA GIG! Again through Martin Lewis, this time his Free Theatre and Concert Tickets Forum.
And not just any gig, a genius pairing of boyband royalty, the epically accronymmed NKOTBSB. That's New Kids On The Block ('88-'90) and The Backstreet Boys ('93-now really!). Fantastic fun, the NKOTB tracks have really stood the test of time and work great booming in an arena, there was loads of audience participation, one of the New Kids really whipped up the crowd and I loved his comment that "we're at the centre of the footballing universe!". Surprisingly I thought New Kids looked tons younger than the actually younger BSBs, they sung+dressed+"togethered" better! Never been much of a huge fan before but I am now! A great mix of personalities with interesting things to say, good pacing and technical direction and some very sexy guys gave this HUGE concept show sort of an intimate and fun feel unlike any other I've seen in an arena!
