Cheech & Chong

A Review of the Light Up Canada/America Tour - Their first Show, from Ottawa Canada.

By Justin and Fabiola of Ottawa.

We were blessed to see the very first appearance of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong in Ottawa; their first live show together in almost 3 decades! There were some minor errors in their first presentation of the show, but these minor human foibles only drew the entire crowd deeper into their full and unconditional love for these two iconic beings. Artificial boundaries of class and race melted away from the audience as this legendary duo went to work for the first time in a generation.

We sat in the third row just left of Center stage. It was fascinating to see how a combination of beauty, eloquence and hilarity formed an emergent new property in Shelby's first presentation with the new Cheech and Chong show. Her work here was genuinely funny and it carried a strong social message as well; - Good work Shelby!

Periodic smiles from Cheech Marin, as he quickly and seamlessly regressed back into each of his classic characters in this first show of the tour, melted the crowd's collective Canuck heart. Cheech literally had us crying with laughter throughout the show. Mr Marin is a deeply important modern media figure for my wife's Latino community even here in Canada. One can only imagine what will take place between Mr. Marin and his increasing Latino audience particularly in certain venue's South of the (Canadian) boarder. Cheech masterfully cements a sheer connection with his audience and there is an electricity that forms quickly between Mr. Marin and those who watch his performances.

Fabiola was one of the few Latin persons present for the Ottawa show that we could see. Fab laughed uncontrollably and I think actually lost her consciousness for a second as Mr. Marin performed his classic car starting routine "chinga-chinga-chinga-chinga" - "cavvvvrrrron!" "puta-puta-puta-puta, “ and this was just at the beginning of the show! As I have come to understand over the last 17 years Mr. Marin represents a major artery in the pan national Latin American Heart. When you see his art collection, and really pay attention to some of the roles he has played over the years you will begin to understand this fact.

Tommy Chong was golden in every sense of the word. His sincerity, his unbridled authenticity and his strong and refreshing sense of social critical purpose, provoked tender and at times, socially angry emotions in the audience, which he masterfully channeled for them into deep belly laughs. What a powerful formula Tommy, linking the lightly psychedelic and profound emotional attachment of the audiences' collective memory of "Cheech and Chong", with a gentle expanding of their social and political consciousness! Only a profoundly spiritually and mentally ill world would allow Mr. Chong to sit in jail the way they did or to pull him and his family along that ugly and shameful road (theirs not Tommy’s) to jail the way they did. Yes Tommy, George Bush is truely a Moron!

There is only one request which I am sure will resonated in the hearts and minds of all of your fans implicitly or explicitly guys; - and I ask this of you with the humblest of hearts. My question is this: How literally powerful would it be to see a fully "transformational" leap in the human connection behind the scenes between Tommy and Cheech? Beyond their dictionary exemplifications of on stage comedic legacy, brilliance and synergy, - even during their first live performance together in close to 3 decades; - if these guys could genuinely support each other into becoming "best friends" again, imagine how this could permeate an already "perfect show", how it would profoundly and correctively impact with and model transformational reconciliation in an age of such dangerous division and derision?

Long Live Cheech and Chong!

We look forward to your responses,

Gratefully,

Justin (a psychotherapist) and Fabiola (Hospital Manager),

from Ottawa Canada,

jdh@ripnet.com