Before a crowd that turned from initial worship to near open revolt, with chants of "refund" echoing through the stately Fox Theatre just 30 minutes after a standing ovation, the embattled tabloid personality added more troubles to his pile.
...His opening, self-penned monologue, which used a lot of words about diseases and violence to promote his own exceptionalism in a world of "trolls," promised the show would change people's lives.
But the crowd tired of his verbosity before he could finish. And as it became clear he would not deliver a "Violent Torpedo of Truth," as the show title promised, even his ardent supporters in the crowd seemed to fade.
When, in his final bit, he tried to answer audience questions, he seemed unable or unwilling to press on through the catcalls. A rapper came on. He was booed. Then the video screen showed Snoop Dogg's new video for a song based on the "winning" mantra. It was booed.
And Sheen never returned to the stage. At 10:10 p.m., 70 minutes after he had come out, the house lights came up and the crowd was left stunned but probably also a little relieved that it had ended.
In the lobby by the merchandise table that had been so crowded on the way in, a young man shouted, "Losing!" And there was, finally, laughter at the Charlie Sheen show.
