Cheech and Chong smoke Cheney Bush at the Pearl

May 24, 3:04 AMLas Vegas Celebrity Events ExaminerJay Murphy

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Las Vegas Celebrity Events Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Cheech and Chong Smoke Cheney Bush!

You had to clap, whistle, and laugh as hard as you could, just to keep decades of memories from clouding your view of the stage during Cheech and Chong’s concert at the Pearl at the Palms Saturday night.If you had seen Cheech and Chong in concert when they first started out, consider your self a part of history in the making. If have had the chance, or get to see the reincarnation of these two masterful comedians, make it a must see, do not let anything stop you from seeing them in 2009.The show opened with Shelby Chong presenting a very funny, racy, and bawdy insightful picture of home life with Tommy Chong. Shelby covered it from the beginning and her first meeting with Tommy Chong during an acid trip wearing “cantaloupe shoes” after narrowly escaping grocery store arrest. Tommy’s first sentence to her outside the market was, “what ever your on, I want some.” It was an acid trip kismet moment. She was instantly addicted to Tommy.

Her vivid word memories proved that her brain cells and talent were still intact after decades of smoking pot and an acidtopia of illegal counter culture mind benders.She was spot on and covered the night Tommy was arrested by a team helmeted gun toting officers who came in the middle of the night. She thought at first they were being Punkd and quickly put her make up on and over heard Tommy standing at the door and telling the humorless invaders that, “Dave’s not here!”They quickly realized it was for real and were amazed that the officers actually asked Tommy if there was any drugs in the house, at which Tommy coolly replied, “in every room.”She got the ball rolling on smoking Cheney Bush and exhaled the first jokes on the former presidential team, for attempting to make an example out of Tommy for selling bongs.She ended her opening with a bit on her new 16” friend she made, while Tommy spent 9 months in jail, seeing her special friend shed a “single tear when Tommy was realesed.Finishing her opening set she introduced her Husband of 25 years Tommy Chong who came on to roaring applause and audience members standing in ovation paying homage to this pothead iconic legend.To say that Tommy Chong was on one Saturday night at the Pearl at the Palms would be an understatement.Tommy was on fire all night, he was in a comedic zone. From comedy puff to puff  unitl the team belted out “Up in Smoke” with audience members in a group share.When Tommy finished Cheech came on blazing and shinned like a crystal. Cheechs expressions and body language showed his acting range as well as his comedic prowess.Their first skit was the recreation of the opening scene of “Up in Smoke” and it was as fresh and vibrant as when they first did it.

These two grand masters of sketch comedy proved why they were so popular in the beginning of their careers together and have only got better with decades in between. It was like two kids playing with such syncretism that their opening piece was really comedic perfection, a moment of Zen.Tommy reacted off of Cheech and Cheech reacted off of Tommy. The expressions countering each other was a thing of beauty to watch and enjoy.Sketch comedy is the extreme sport for comedians and these two put a school on how to do it from the beginning of the show to the end.

It had to be a real challenge for the two select which classic piece of material to bring to life again or to recreate and update. Their selection of each skit and its placement in the show would have been the envy of any of the old time vaudeville acts.Memorable moment after memorable moment was fresh as if they had just created it. The material through out the show was like seeing the snap shot of the moment of creation. Their old material was like new and the new material was topical, sharp, and delivered with deadly accuracy as they smoke Cheney Bush on stage time and time again.The comedy musical portions of the show were nothing short of great, from Cheechs Red Hickerson following each corny joke with a step into the mike, “thank you very much.”If there was a routine than one could say stood out  was Tommy as Blind Melon Chitlan, with his sunburst Ibenez guitar, classic whawha peddle, purple out fit, and wearing black rounded wrap around sunglasses. Tommy’s love and joy of playing the guitar transcended his talents to a level that few have known about or ever seen from this comedy genius.

Tommy played his comedy off the blues riffs, like he was playing off of Cheech, with raw perfection and being totally in the moment.

It was rhythm, harmony, and tempo comedy at it’s finest.

When each were in their comedy sketch mode of performance they did not brake the fourth wall. When they were in stand up comedy mode, they played with and tickled audience members into laughter.

The other skit that was so dead on was the “porn theater" sketch were Tommy to took the lead in the lines and Cheech fed back great reactive expression after great expression. To say these two were having fun and playing for the joy of it, would be and understatement, but accurate to communicate what happened on the Pearl stage at the Palms Saturday night.Before the finale sing along of “Up in Smoke” these two big kids continued with a New and updated version of “Ralph” on all fours as talking dog buddies.It was like the decades that had pasted, never did, showing off their enthusiastic body comedic athleticism it appeared that they dispelled the audience belief and that time had not passed from their youthful beginnings.They showed Saturday night why they had become and earned the title of iconic legendary geniuses. This performance was a rare treat for audience members and you would be hard pressed and would fail, at seeking and finding another existing comedy team today that was any where near their level of mastery, precision, and performing with and for the joy it.From beginning to end they smoked Cheney Bush time and time and time again, but never let it interfere with their mission to entertain and make the audience laugh.Cheech and Chong’s performance Saturday night was a joy to witness and a pleasure to be a part of and it was beyond just funny, it was a state of comedic nirvana.The annoucement of the night, a new Cheech and Chong movie is coming soon!

Your Las Vegas Celebrity Events Examiner would like to thank Cheech and Chong for their gracious invitation, as well as, The Pearl at the Palms, and PR Plus. Also, a special thanks for the professionalism of the Pearls event staff and security.

If it happens in Vegas, it gets examined in Vegas by your Las Vegas Celebrity Events Examiner on Examiner.com.