Charlie Sheen ranted his way through his tour’s 18th show Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Theatre, admittedly “pacing like a caged lion” on the lecture hall’s expansive stage.
Was Sheen’s event a concert? A stand-up gig? Story hour with Charlie?
No, his latest “Violent Torpedo of Truth” tour stop was more like a therapy session, with Sheen taking the mike, spotlight and couch to unload the last few months of drama on a half-full, yet totally jazzed, crowd.
Anything new from Sheen’s all- too-public battle? Actually, yes. The beauty of Sheen’s cross-country tour is the immediate, off-the- cuff reactions to the news of the day. Thursday’s news: “Two and a Half Men” creator Chuck Lorre plans on forging ahead with the series sans Sheen, the TV exec told The Hollywood Reporter.
When the actor unleashed the news on the crowd, a storm of boos and expletives poured forth. He then read aloud, from his phone, his e-mailed responses, which included the following missives — and crowd reactions:
The introduction: “Hey, Chuck. Hope you are well.” (Laughter!)
The mea culpa: “I’m sorry my words upset you. There. I apologize. And I mean it.” (Awkward silence.)
The closer: “That’s what I do. I win. Always have.” (Shouts, woots, raise-the-roof hand gestures.)
It’s easy to call Sheen’s mindless live show hateful and spiteful. It’s what he’s going for. When he wasn’t ragging on Lorre, it was his ex-wives or former friends and co-stars. But that the evening was as aimless as it was came as a surprise, especially given the criticism Sheen has faced since the tour’s inception.
“Why are we here tonight?” Sheen asked the crowd early on. It was a good question, and one guy in the front had the answer Sheen was looking for. But was it an honest answer?
“To support you,” the guy screamed, which pushed a sly grin to Sheen’s iconic, if battered, face.
Sheen’s talents are well-documented, but self-indulgent extemporaneous speaking isn’t one of them. The brightest moment of the show came when comedian Jeff Ross took over to roast the actor. Many of Ross’ jokes are old for those following the tour’s reviews and YouTubes, but he had a couple of localized winners.
“The only thing rockier than these mountains,” Ross started, “is Charlie’s relationship with his children.”
Mean, yes, but the presence of actual writing was welcome.
“This is hard. How do you roast a meltdown? . . . Charlie, if you’re winning, this must not be a custody hearing.”
Sheen took it well. After all, he had already roasted President Barack Obama and multiple audience members during an ill-fated Q&A.
Conan O’Brien showed us a revenge tour that was worth our while — actual entertainment. But Sheen’s mean-spirited revenge outing gave us little more than a few cringe-worthy laughs and awkward moments.
