Comedy sensations Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong have decided to hit the road again with their own brand of stoner/hippie comedy in the “Light Up America” tour and they’re making a stop here in Ames at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 at Hilton Coliseum.

It’s been 25 years since the duo last shared the stage, and yet the 63- and 71-year-old performers say they’ve lost nothing in the lull and are going to bring old classics along with fresh new material for both old-timers and the younger generations.

Chong’s wife of 38 years, Shelby Chong, is the opening act for the pair, and while she has been out touring clubs around the country with Tommy for years, this tour marks her debut in some of the bigger and better known venues.

“Cheech and Chong: Light Up America”

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5

Where: Hilton Coliseum

Cost: $35

Q&A with Cheech and Chong

Chong: No, f— off man … No … C’mon man, I don’t want to rehearse …

Cheech: C’mon man.

Chong: Okay, just for a little while, maybe like an hour, man.

(At this point I realize they don’t know I’m on the line, so I start talking)

Nosco: It’s been about 25 years since you guys have shared the stage. So how does it feel to be back up there together again?

Chong: It’s just a dream come true.

Cheech: It is.

Chong: Well actually, it’s a wet dream come true.

Cheech: Actually it’s about 100 – 150 hours of community service.

Nosco: Are any of your acts a little rusty or do you guys still have all the same old chemistry?

Cheech: Oh yeah.

Chong: Well no, we’ve got different chemistry now. A higher quality chemistry.

Cheech: New and improved.

Chong: Better quality, a little more hydro … yeah, it’s sensimilla chemistry (sensimilla is seedless marijuana).

Nosco: So what would you guys say has been the highlight of your tour this year?

Chong: Well, man, I think getting high has been the highlight of our tour.

[Cheech laughs]

Chong: I don’t know, man, give him a highlight Cheech.

Cheech: Well, the Radio City Music Hall was great. We’d never played that before and now we have. And the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Chong: Yeah, we thought we were in the middle of an earthquake ’cause all those bodies were rolling over.

Nosco: And what about the crowds? Is it a lot of old-timers looking to burn one more down? Or has it been a younger crowd?

Cheech: Yeah, it’s been a lot of younger kids. The bulk of the audience is between 30 and 40.

Chong: And they’re all younger than us. Ninety percent of them are younger than us. They come up and say, “Well, my grandpa and my grandma really love you guys.”

Q&A with Shelby Chong

Nosco: You’ve been touring with just your husband for quite a few years now without Cheech. How did you like it when it was just the two of you on the road?

Shelby: Well we were working a lot of clubs so it was a lot different than the large venues that we are touring now. It was a great transition for me into stand-up.

Nosco: How’s it been hitting the road with Cheech and Chong on this tour?

Shelby: It’s been excellent. Cheech is a doll, and he’s been really sweet. They’ve got that great chemistry together, and it’s been fun. I didn’t know what it was going to be like, but it’s been really great. They’re not fighting or bickering, so that’s great.

Nosco: So there’s not been a lot of fighting on the road?

Shelby: They get along a lot better when they’re around each other. It’s when they’re not around each other that they start talking about each other.

Nosco: What’s been the highlight of the tour so far for you Shelby?

Shelby: I think shooting the special in Texas was a lot of fun. We shot the show, and it’s going to come out on 4/20. That was great. Working Radio City Hall in New York was great, too. That was amazing.

Nosco: Have you ever been out to Iowa before?

Shelby: Oh yeah. I’ve worked out there before.

Nosco: How do you like it compared to some of the bigger cities you guys have visited?

Shelby: The people in the little cities appreciate it so much more. There’s a lot of stoners living in those little towns because there’s nothing else to do.