TORONTO -- Singer Frank Sinatra may have lost a few fans Sunday when he performed only about half an hour -- and forgot some of the words to his songs -- while the audience had to sit in the pouring rain.
After 35 minutes on stage at the Canadian National Exhibition grandstand, 'Ol' Blue Eyes' walked off and didn't return.
The more than 15,000 fans who paid up to $75 to sit in the rain to hear him were outraged not only at his brief appearance but also with the fact he forgot the words to some of his songs, including the lyrics to his newest hit 'L.A. is My Lady.'
As the band packed up to shouts and boos, the police were besieged with questions about what they could do. The police said there was nothing they could do because Sinatra did show up, he did sing and the tickets did say rain or shine.
A spokesman for the CNE, which put on the show, said Sinatra fulfilled his contractual agreement and did the show he was signed to do.
A spokeswoman for Concert Productions International, which promoted the show, said it was a difficultshow for Sinatra and CPI felt he did a good job.
'I don't know if it matters to people, but needless to say, from a technical standpoint, he took a hell of a risk singing in the rain with that kind of electrical equipment behind him,' CPI spokeswoman Liz Braun said,
'His wife asked him not to go on, his advisers asked him not to go on, I felt 'well he's 55 years old'. I felt thrilled when he did his set. I wish it could have been drier for people.'
Fan Harvey Brooker was steamed. 'I'm going to head up a class action suit to try and get our money back.'
'Not a good buy at all. He simply walked off the stage after singing a few flowery songs about the rain. He didn't have a drop on him while we were sitting in the pouring rain,' Brooker said.
Asked if he remained a loyal Sinatra fan, he said: 'No way. I think I'll start listening to Boy George.'
