It took 27 years for Cheech & Chong to get back together. The Sept. 12, 2008 show at Philadelphia's Tower Theater was the first of their Light Up America reunion tour, which runs through April 2009.

Mixing old bits with newer material, the dopey duo race through 70 minutes of schtick and song - reprising favorites like "Let's Make a Dope Deal," "Earache My Eye" and "Blind Melon Chitlin."

Tommy Chong's vivacious wife Shelby opens the show. For years she has been his sidekick, ever since Cheech Marin left Chong for the greener pastures of mainstream TV (Nash Bridges) and movies (Tin Cup).

It took Chong's arrest for selling bongs and his subsequent nine-month jail sentence to reunite one of America's greatest comedy teams. Let's face it: There's Martin & Lewis, Rowan & Martin, the Smothers Brothers, and Cheech & Chong.

Known best for stoner-movie classics like Up in Smoke and the Big Bambu album with a huge rolling paper in it, Cheech & Chong epitomize the '70s ethos of sex, drugs and rock & roll - with the emphasis, of course, on drugs (marijuana, in particular).

For their first skit, Cheech & Chong sit in an imaginary car with a video screen behind them depicting palm trees and blue skies. They launch into the dialogue from the first scene in Up in Smoke, when Pedro (Cheech) picks up a hitichiker (Chong). Except for a slight deviation from the original script, it's a crisp, funny reading, with them miming hits from a joint.

As Marin takes costume breaks, Chong acts as the narrator, telling pot jokes ("This bud's for Jews") and stories of his arrest. Marin's many outfits include a pink tu-tu and tattooed body stocking ("Earache"), a cowboy ("Red"), a woman ("Margaret') and a dog (well, no costume, though they both spend the skit on their knees).

While Chong slurs slowly in his trademark stoner voice, Marin belts out dialogue in staccato bursts. Cheech's performance is joyous and rivetting, his timing precise. Whereas Chong has been playing this part for years, Marin's return to the fold finds him reclaming former territory with aplomb.

Light Up America shines. Cheech & Chong are still smokin'.

Also see:
Light Up America Tour Schedule
Tommy Chong • Cheech Marin
CelebStoner News