They’re old as dirt, and I laughed till it hurt

December 22, 2008

 12-22-08               CHEECH AND CHONG “LIGHT UP AMERICA”

(Warning, some of the videos may contain swearing, and you could possibly smell smoke).

 The wife and I went to see Cheech and Chong last night at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Denver.

 It was a brisk night.

Brisk = F’n cold buddy, the temperature outside was six degrees.

The ticket stated that cameras were not allowed, but I managed to get mine inside.

Thinking I was Mr. Smooth with the camera, I noticed a lot of people had brought their cameras.

 I figured it must be cool then.

I managed to capture a little video, but it’s not very good. What’s worse, my   pictures suck even more.

 The problem was the spotlight they used for the stage was so bright inside the dark theater, my camera couldn’t compensate.

Chong’s wife Colby opened the show by telling  Cheech and Chong stories from back in the day.

She was really funny. 

She and Chong have been married since 1975, and have two children together.

Chong also has two kids from his first wife.

Rae Dawn Chong (actress), is his oldest. 

After Colby finished her routine, Chong came out and did a few minutes of stand up.

One of the first things he mentioned was how sorry he was that this reunion took 25 years.

 He said it like this: “You know, you can’t get rich Mexican to do sheet”. It was hilarious.

 I knew this show was going to be great when the first skit started off at the point in the movie “Up in Smoke”, where Cheech had just picked up Chong (who was dressed up like a female), hitchhiking. 

You remember, then Cheech gets pulled over and both drop a bunch of acid in a panic. When the Officer asked for his license, Cheech says, “My license, isn’t it on the bumper?” 

I couldn’t believe after waiting almost my whole life, I was watching that skit live. I was so glad they did their old material instead of a bunch of new crap. These routines were the ones I wanted to see and remember.

                                      Below is a short clip from the opening act.

While I was watching these guys perform, it really seemed like they hadn’t aged at all. Although, maybe it was because we were seated as far back from the stage as you could get. No matter, both of them went into character immediately, and it was like 25 years had never passed, I’m serious, they were that good.

 I’m not sure Chong was acting, I think he’s naturally that way.

Tommy cracked a few jokes about himself going to Federal prisonl for selling bongs. Tommy was a target of the Justice Department’s Operation Pipe Dreams investigation. 

At the time, Tommy owned a company called “Chong’s Bongs” that he let his son manage. They sold glass bongs with a picture of Chong on them.  

Chong was sentenced to nine months in jail, fined $20,000, and forced to give up $120,000 in assets for that brilliant move. He made the comment last night “selling bongs is fine, just don’t put your picture on them”.

I did some research, and if you can find one of those bongs unused and unbroken, they’re quite a collecters piece and can be worth some serious green.

 

This skit was called “The first mexican in space”.

 I laughed so hard during this one I was crying.

This video sucks, but the picture helps you get a visual. 

 

 

 One of the highlights of this show was seeing Cheech come out on stage wearing his infamous pink tutu. 

He sang his song called “Ear Ache My Eye”.

 “Mama sock it to me, tried to tell me how to live, da na na, da na na, da da na”.

                                                           Below is the clip:

 They said they were going to start their own television network called the THC network.             

       Here’s a skit from the game show on the THC network called, “Lets make a dope deal”. Chong plays the contestant, “Bob Bitchin”. 

 

                           Here’s a skit of one of Cheech’s characters named “Red”.

A funny thing, when we first arrived at the Paramount, we purchased a few beers and after I tipped the bartender he said, “Enjoy the contact high”. We laughed, but we had no idea this guy was serious.

 I’ve been to a few concerts in my day, this place was wall to wall smoke, no joke.

It would have been impossible to try to enforce any kind of non-smoking ordnance during that show, think about it,…it’s Cheech and Chong man.

It just wasn’t going to happen. There were way to many people partaking in the herbal festivities.

Who knows, maybe that’s why we laughed so hard?

Or could the smoke have been purposely pumped in through the air vents?

Guess it’s not a problem if nobody complains? 

All I know is the whole drive home I was thinking about ice cream and it was almost zero outside??

   Here’s a list of their records together:

 

Cheech and Chong – (1971)

Big Bambu – (1972}

Los Cochinos – (1973)

Wedding Album – (1974)

Sleeping Beauty – (1976)

Up in Smoke – (1979)

Let’s Make a New Dope Deal – (1980) 

Greatest Hit – (1981)

Get Out of My Room – (1985)

Where There’s Smoke There’s Cheech & Chong – (2002)

     Here’s a list of their movies together:

1. Up in Smoke-1978

2. Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie-1980

3.  Nice Dreams-1978

4. It Came From Hollywood.

5. Things are tough all over.

6.Still Smokin-1983

7. Yellowbeard-1983

8. Group Madness-1983

9. Cheech and Chongs’s, The Corsican Brothers-1984

10. Get Out of My Room-1985

11. Far Out Man-1990

They also mentioned that they would be filming a new movie. Chong’s wife Colby kidded and said it was going to be called, “Grumpy Old Stoners”.   For part of the encore, Cheech came out and sang every verse of “Mexican Americans”. It was beautiful.            

 This show was everything I wanted it to be and more.

If your into these guys, you need to see this show. They’re not going to be around in another 25 years…D 

 

 

Written by RANTER Posted in Ranter's Blog Entries Tagged with Cheech and Chong, Paramount Theater, Up in Smoke