EVERETT — Charlie Sheen saved the best for last.
The actor stayed on stage at the Comcast Arena for more than 100 minutes Tuesday night, the final stop of his 20-city “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option Show.”
“It’s not the end, it’s the … beginning,” Sheen said to
a cheering audience of fewer than 2,000.
The show was an unscripted, rambling, expletive-filled monologue. He talked about his life as an actor, Hollywood celebrity and son of Martin Sheen.
“He’s the best actor alive,” Charlie Sheen said. And the best father.
Sheen took the stage at about 8:45 p.m.
“I’ll stay here all night long,” Sheen said. “I’ve got nowhere to be tomorrow, man.”
He was wearing a Seattle Mariners jersey and said he should have done all 21 dates of his tour in Everett.
The audience was made up of “winners,” he said, pulling out his often-quoted catch phrase, and the most important thing was ”the truth,” berating the mainstream media for not telling his story his way.
During the show, he paced the stage, often smoking cigarettes and bantering with the audience.
Sheen, 45, has become a publicity machine since he lost his job March 7 as the star of CBS’s hit sitcom, “Two and a Half Men.”
The Hollywood actor has been a lightning rod for controversy and has been accused of abusing drugs and women.
During the show, he said that a prostitute was once paid $250,000 for spending time with him at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. (The payment: $30,000 on wine, $170,000 for a watch he later accused the woman of stealing, and then $50,000 that he said went to her for an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to talk about the tryst.)
During a question-and-answer session, Sheen admitted to passing gas when he awarded Sarah Jessica Parker an Emmy, a moment he said was the funniest he’s experienced.
He said his two favorite movies are “Jaws” and “Apocalypse Now,” which starred his father.
During his talk, Sheen railed against Chuck Lorre, the executive producer who fired him from the CBS sitcom.
He encouraged the audience to chant a derogatory expletive about Detroit, the city where his tour opened last month to boos and jeers.
After the Detroit show, Sheen said he stayed up all night long redoing the show and refocusing it on what people wanted.
Asked if he still took drugs, Sheen said he was on a drug called, “Charlie … Sheen.” He’d be open to resuming his drug habits in the future, he said, but for now cared too deeply for his children.
Sheen has been met with criticism as he’s toured the country, but has been encouraged by a huge fan base.
He’s won the following of millions of people. His Twitter feed has been picked up by millions.
Stephanie Dikeakos of Seattle is one of his Twitter followers and went to the show with a friend.
“We thought it would be novel and fun to see him,” she said.
Early last month, Sheen embarked on the 20-city solo tour.
He said LiveNation, an entertainment production company, suggested the solo show to him.
The first few venues, including arenas in Detroit, Chicago and New York City, reportedly sold out in record time.
Ticket sales in Everett weren’t as brisk. The arena was set up to seat about 2,000; many seats remained empty Tuesday night.
Still, the vibe was in Sheen’s favor and the crowd urged him on.
Two women seated near the stage in T-shirts that read, “Charlie’s Angels,” kissed each other and pulled up their shirts, exposing themselves.
Some celebrity watchers, including Marc Malkin, a blogger for E! Online who covers Sheen, were surprised the tour made it across the country.
Malkin said he believed the novelty of the show would fade and “in the end it would go away.”
But Sheen has proved resilient, Malkin said. On the tour he’s persevered despite terrible reviews, booing audiences and being ditched by one of his porn-star girlfriends he calls “the goddesses.”
“He kept that publicity train going and going and going,” Malkin said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
Christine and Darrell Fortune’s son bought tickets for their birthdays, 55 and 52 respectively. The Snohomish couple are fans of Sheen’s former sitcom.
“You either like him or you don’t,” Christine Fortune said.
Her husband added: “No one’s on the fence.”
A couple who drove to the show from Port Angeles bought tickets when the tour was announced. They declined to give their names but said the trip was worthwhile.
“I think we got our money’s worth,” the woman said.
Some didn’t stay for the entire show. People trickled out of the performance, apparently unimpressed by Sheen’s monologue.
“If you’re walking out a Charlie Sheen show you’re a schmuck,” Malkin said. “What were you expecting?”
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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