"Wouldn’t it be cool if we did something insane right now?" That’s how J.J. Abrams ended the Hall H panel for his hugely anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Only, it wasn’t over. J.J. had much bigger plans for all of us. Oh, I’ll just let him describe it.
That’s right. Following the Star Wars panel at San Diego Comic-Con, J.J. Abrams invited EVERYONE in the Hall to walk with him to an outdoor concert staging area and listen to the San Diego Symphony perform live tracks from the classic Star Wars soundtrack. I have seen some amazing events at Comic-Con over the years. This was the best. It’s almost the most incredible Star Wars experience of my life… only, one time, I was lucky enough to bring my son to Skywalker Ranch. That will always be my No. 1 Star Wars experience. This was a very close second.
How do you transport thousands of Star Wars fans from Hall H to an outdoor concert facility in San Diego? Very peacefully, it turns out! As we exited the Convention Center, we received badges that would get us into the concert.
We all looked like this as we walked.
And this:
As you arrived at the park, you were greeted by signs welcoming us to a free concert for the fans.
And everyone in attendance was given a free lightsaber.
That way, when we all gathered in front of the stage and waited for the Symphony to begin playing, it looked like this!
The vibe at the concert was incredibly upbeat. Everyone realized we were part of something special, and that was confirmed when J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy took the stage to introduce the entire cast, including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford:
And with that, the concert was ready to begin. First, of course, was an introduction by composer John Williams, who couldn’t be there in person, but was proud to warm up the crowd:
All in all, it was an unbelievable night, one that bonded the Star Wars fanbase, and rewarded them for their commitment to this incredible universe.
There are very few communities as tight-knit and as celebratory as the Star Wars community, and tonight, they threw a party for the ages.
