Sheen not a 'winner' to stand-up crowd

DETROIT -- Charlie Sheen and his "goddesses" took the stage to thunderous applause last night for the first leg of his "Torpedo of Truth" tour. The 70-minute show hadn't even ended when the first reviews were in, and they were brutal.

The former "Two and a Half Men" star showed that comedic success on the screen doesn't necessarily translate to the stage, and the capacity crowd at the 5,100-seat Fox Theatre rebelled before he left the stage, chanting "refund!" and walking out in droves.

Linda Fugate, 47, of the Detroit suburb of Lincoln Park, walked up the block yelling, "I want my money back!" She said she paid $150 for two seats.

"I was hoping for something. I didn't think it would be this bad."

Fans who gathered outside the theater before the doors opened -- some who had to fly in for the show -- said they were hoping to see the increasingly eccentric actor deliver some of the colorful rants that have made him an Internet star since his ugly falling out with CBS and the producers of "Two and a Half Men." They got the ranting. It just wasn't funny.

The show started well for Sheen, as the crowd stood and cheered as he and the women he calls his "goddesses" took the stage. The women, one a former porn star and the other an actress, carried signs with the words "War" and "Lock," references to one of the catchphrases Sheen recently coined.

"I don't see a single empty seat," he said.

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After one audience member booed, Sheen sanguinely replied, "I've already got your money, dude."

He told everyone he wanted them to enjoy "a night of winning." Winning, in fact, was one of many of Sheen's catchphrases to be displayed in a video montage. Others: "Violent hatred" and "Adonis DNA."

"It's kind of like a NASCAR race. You're just tuning in because you're just waiting for the accident to happen," said Toronto-area resident Ronnie Prentice, 37.