Music Reviews
In photos: Cheech and Chong at Cypress Hill SmokeOut 2009 in San Manuel
By Kieran MacIntyre & Drake Zimmerman Nov 1, 2009, 15:49 GMT
Cheech and Chong at SmokeOut - Photo by Drake Zimmerman İM&C
Last Saturday, October 24 was the Cypress Hill SmokeOut festival at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore (Friday and Saturday), and it featured top line artists and a ton of local area herb clubs.
The lifestyle music festival is billed as a celebration of music and 420 cannabis culture, and it returned for the first time with performances from a wide array of artists, including a dramatic stage show by Slipknot, an amazing reunion of Sublime, Deftones and Pennywise with the backdrop of an educational expo aimed at spreading the word about medical marijuana and the clubs that service them.
Cheech and Chong's reunion brings their bong water-flavored comedy to a whole new generation who missed out on their seventies string of great comedy albums.
We attended all day Saturday, and were amidst thousands of pretty peaceful fans at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore.
Apparently the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, which staffs all shows at the site, issued a statement to remind people about drug laws, and truth be told there were no major disturbances or problems during the concert when we were there.
It was Cheech & Chong hosted day at the Cypress Hill SmokeOut day on Saturday, Oct. 24 in San Bernardino. Incarcerated for selling drug paraphenalia over state lines, Tommy Chong made himself available in a panel discussion, and Cheech & Chong performed a music set before Cypress Hill, Sublime, Kottonmouth Kings, Redman & Method Man, Bad Brains, Deftones and SlipKnot took the stage.
Cheech and Chong have issued a re-mastered "Sleeping Beauty" and "Let's Make A New Dope Deal." Their CD is available at CheechandChong.Com - the guys partnered with Warner Music Group to re-release those two long lost Cheech and Chong albums.
Sublime's set was just that. The late Brad Nowell has a voice doppelganger in 21-year-old Rome Ramierez , now the lead singer of Sublime. This is the bands second appearance in 13 years since the death of original front man Brad Nowell from a heroin overdose. Sublime drew a huge crowd of about 15,000+ fans.
It was reported that representatives for Nowells estate filed suit against original Sublime members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, stating that it was Brads expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, and Brad even registered the trademark Sublime under his own name.
The LA Times reported that a District Court judge allowed Sublime to play SmokeOut without Nowell. Gaugh and Wilson released a statement saying that Sublime still has a strong message of hope and love to express.
Pennywise, Method Man and Redman, Cheech and Chong, Kottonmouth Kimgs, and Cypress Hill were all in top form.
