Owen had a fantastic time at the "Star Wars in Concert" event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose yesterday -- thanks to his mom, who spent a small fortune to procure a pair of VIP tickets to the concert.

With our tickets, we got early access to the gallery of props and costumes from the movies, and with just a handful of other people around, Owen scampered excitedly around from station to station, striking battle poses (complete with tough-looking scowls) and spewing laser-and-explosion sounds -- and sprays of spittle -- from his mouth. He pointed his index fingers to make imaginary laser pistols and shot at Han Solo. He fought off a battle droid. He swooped around the Death Star and reenacted how the Emperor fell to his doom. ("Whoooaaah!" he yelled, and fell dramatically onto the floor, splaying his arms and legs awkwardly.) And most thillingly of all, he met a real, live Stormtrooper.

(Our tickets also got us a buffet lunch in a "VIP room." The food was disappointingly cafeteria-like and supremely unhealthy, but Owen managed to shovel down all the fried and/or sugary foods on his plate before demanding to go back upstairs to rejoin his fellow Star Wars devotees.)

As for the concert itself, it was actually pretty entertaining. Anthony Daniels, the guy who played C-3PO, was onstage to narrate the two-hour show, which consisted of a live symphony orchestra playing pieces from the films' soundtracks that accompanied an edited selection of Star Wars clips projected onto an enormous screen. Some pyrotechnics and laser-and-smoke effects were also thrown in, which caused Owen to jolt in surprise a few times. (We had tenth-row seats, and could feel the heat from the flames that occasionally shot out of the floor of the stage.) But he loved every minute of it, inhaling sharply when his favorite tunes were played, clapping enthusiastically after each song, and beaming throughout.

I had a great time, too. These days, it's not often that I get to spend a day with just Owen, doing and seeing stuff that he loves. Owen's smiling face in the photo above makes me really, really happy.

And not just because he's becoming a total nerd like me.