Charles Pignone was just an 18-year-old college freshman in 1984. But as president of Frank Sinatra's fan club, he had a golden ticket to Las Vegas.

And boy, did he use it.

From the 1984 night when Sinatra and Willie Nelson relaunched the Golden Nugget, Pignone figures he saw at least 500 Sinatra shows on the Strip before the legend's 1994 swan song at the MGM Grand.

Who better then, for the task of listening to hundreds of hours of recordings for a new boxed set, "Sinatra: Vegas"?

The five-disc set arrives in stores Tuesday, just in time for holiday shopping. (It retails for about $55.)

"Having seen him so many times, even in the later years his shows in Vegas were a lot looser," says Pignone, who now works in Los Angeles as the Sinatra family's archivist.

"When he was at a serious venue he treated it like a recital, but Vegas he seemed really to be at home with. It was a lot looser and there was a lot more give and take with the audience."

Pignone picked four shows that best fit Reprise Records' request to go with complete sets for a "you are there" feel, rather than mixing and matching highlights.

* A 1961 set at the Sands was intended to be the Chairman of the Board's first live album. Then Sinatra decided to record his 1962 world tour instead. (It wasn't released back then either.)

* An early 1966 show came from the same stint that yielded "Sinatra at the Sands," which Pignone says is still a top-selling catalog album. While that recording fudged its continuity, this is a complete show from a different night.

* Pignone liked a 1982 show at Caesars Palace because Sinatra used "what he called the 'hot band' (no strings), plus it was one of the only times Nancy toured with him."

* A Golden Nugget set in 1987 reflects Pignone's attentiveness to hard-core fans. It had a different pianist, Lou Levy, and a few songs that weren't often in the set.

* A DVD offers a 1978 show at Caesars Palace. A complete performance was filmed to be excerpted in the CBS special "Cinderella at the Palace," which introduced Las Vegas-based singer Marlene Ricci.

Pignone's own favorite memories don't always match the recordings.

"I think one of the most moving was his 77th birthday engagement at the Desert Inn (Dec. 12, 1992). When they rolled out the cake, he got real emotional."

Pignone also was standing backstage at Bally's on Oct. 29, 1987. "In the middle of the show, up behind me pulls this golf cart. I turn around and there's Dean Martin sitting in this golf cart. I look across the stage and I see Sammy (Davis Jr.) walking with a cane."

They were there to surprise Sinatra for what would be their last time to stand together on a Las Vegas stage. But the audio lives on. Pignone says a Rat Pack box is a distinct possibility for the future.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.