A couple of weeks earlier than it would have been – presumably because of people’s travel plans for Celebration Japan – it was all systems go for Echo Live.
As usual, my alarm went off at 6.00am and I took my place in the Early Bird line at around 7.00am. There were a lot of new faces this time around and the biggest news of all was that the show was now taking place in what was once the Debenhams department store. As we peeked inside, it looked huge.
As is the norm with Star Wars fans, it was great to chat about all the things that we have in common. Celebration Japan was a big point of discussion whilst in the line as was collectables, Season 2 of Andor and upcoming May 4th plans.
View this post on Instagram
As doors opened, it was the usual mix of excitement and nervous energy. There were so many directions to take that my partner-in-crime, Chris Cooke (Toys of the Jedi) and I, simply went straight down the middle.
There were a lot of dealers, both familiar and new, and collectors selling off some unwanted items and it was a feast for the eyes. As expected with Echo, no matter what your taste is with collecting then you will find it on offer here. From that holy grail piece of a MOC 21 back to a KFC Jar Jar Burger Box from 1999 – it’s all here.
The line up of guests here was a special one too. The theme this time round was Destroy the Death Star and due to last minute change in the guests, Denis Lawson returned by popular demand. With Denis ready to sign and chat and Garrick Hagon also attending it meant that Biggs and Wedge were together again. I picked up an autograph from Hilton McRae who was an absolute delight and fantastic to see him on the circuit.
The event was the busiest I’ve ever seen it, reminding me of the first day of Celebration Europe in 2023. Deals were being struck from the highly sought after vintage to the weird and wonderful. I had a couple of fantastic finds myself from a complete 1978 Kenner 12 inch Ben Kenobi, a bootleg Mexican fairground Darth Vader toy and a C-3PO action figure carry case among some of my favourite finds.
As the crowd eased off a little it was wonderful to bump into old friends and catch up with my new favourite friend Brian Hickey who was in attendance. We chatted about his brilliant campaign for his new book Total Star Wars, which I backed in the first few hours, and he was on hand to show prototypes of how the book would look.
I knew I’d had a good day as by 6.00pm I was absolutely shattered and ready for bed. We don’t know if the event will return to its old stomping ground or if Echo has found a new home in the old Debenhams.
As fans we can never get enough. How do we know this? Well, I’m already waiting for the next date to put into my diary. Well done to all involved once again.