Tour gaining momentum. Will be in Denver 04/28
Charlie Sheen tour gets more positive buzz after Detroit bomb
Charlie Sheen takes the stage at the Fox Theatre for "Violent Torpedo of Truth/ Defeat Is Not An Option" show on Saturday April 2, 2011 in Detroit, MI.
By B.J. HAMMERSTEIN
DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Charlie Sheen crazy train blew through Cleveland last night and, by many accounts, it was a success. Really.
That makes three down for the “Sheenius” -- his opening night debacle Saturday in the D, a rebound of sorts in Chicago on Sunday, and last night’s show in C-Town that began and ended with a standing ovation. Tonight, the embattled sitcom star drops his “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option” tour in Columbus.
Both the Chicago and Cleveland shows were helped by the Motor City rivalry both Midwestern cities have with us.
Chants of “Detroit sucks!” fired up the Windy City fans Sunday while an unprintable chant of “(expletive) Detroit!” was hurled from the mouths of Clevelanders last night.
In some ways, Sheen’s Cleveland stop was a homecoming of sorts. He acted as a “Wild Thing” pitching star for the Cleveland Indians in two “Major League” movies.
The Free Press even had a journalist friend inside last night’s show in Cleveland. She said Sheen took a “jab at Detroit’s automobiles” but gave props to his brother Emilio Estevez, who was smart enough to marry a metro Detroit native.
If these last two shows are any indication, there could be a whole new level of Detroit and Michigan bashing tonight as Sheen hams it up for fans in Buckeye country.
And with a curious celebtv.com interview that features Sheen’s tour producer Joey Scoleri hinting that there might even be a makeup date for his flop at the Fox, the momentum-gaining Sheen show doesn’t seem like it’s about to stop anytime soon. Then again, it is pulling into New York City on Friday night.
Here’s what some of the media are saying about last night’s C-Town circus:
Andrea Simakis of Cleveland’s Plain Dealer said 3,200 seats were filled up at the State Theatre for Sheen’s gonzo piece of performance art. “When the lights finally dimmed -- nearly 20 minutes after the show was slated to begin -- a guy with an electric guitar ripped into a rendition of ‘Wild Thing,’ sparking a wave of thunderous applause.
“Then the man himself burst onto the stage wearing -- can you guess? -- a Cleveland Indians jersey, with ‘Vaughn,’ the name of his bad-boy pitcher in that baseball movie they shot parts of here, emblazoned on the back.
“And Cleveland, a city that loves losers -- especially those who insist they are winners and underdogs of every stripe -- gave the unapologetically unhinged actor a standing O.”
Eonline.com’s been traveling with Sheen through all three shows so far. They opened their review of the show with a line that said: “To be fair, Charlie Sheen had a running start when he landed tonight.” Eonline.com talks about the R-rated Detroit chant and Sheen’s ability to connect with the rowdy audience by slamming former Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar LeBron James.
“Tonight may have been right up there, though, especially when a busty fan removed her tank top to give Sheen an eyeful. … In the end, defeat was still not an option.”
Cleveland’s Fox 8 reported Sheen joked about drugs, prostitutes and his ex-wives. And that the warlock also bashed the city of Detroit and compared James to a “bad marriage.”
“Several people said the show was lacking in structure and content, but (the) majority of showgoers thought it was worth the money.”
http://www.freep.com/article/20110406/E ... troit-bomb
