Valet parking attendants stood at their stations, scanning the darkness for cars. Bartenders stocked bottles of liquor and beer and cleaned their assigned areas with bar rags, waiting.

Like some trendy Miami clubs, Liquid Blue doesn't heat up until after 10 p.m., until the fog machine kicks in and radio station personalities appear.

Not to mention the fire-eater, a man who puts flaming sticks in his mouth to entertain the crowd.

A handful of early birds sat quietly on blood red velvet couches near the fake stone walls and fake fire lamps under a massive crystal chandelier. They talked quietly in small groups, taking advantage of the club's version of a blue plate special: $7 cover charge with free drinks until 10 p.m.

Most of the women wore black from head to foot.

Those who climbed the stairs to the balcony and VIP sections sipped drinks and watched eight women and two men dance to Madonna's Like a Prayer down below.

One middle-aged man wearing pleated pants and a striped polo shirt tried to infiltrate a group of girls who were dancing together, but they formed a tight circle to keep him out.

Eventually, he was forced to boogie with his own image in the huge bank of mirrors that lines the wooden dance floor.

By 10:30 p.m., a rush of people had poured into Liquid Blue, and the man was lost in the crowd.

Professional dancers Carmen Gonzalez, 23, and Hunter Naffziger, 28, cavorted on the upper level VIP stage.

Male customers below looked up as if in a trance.

Liquid Blue, owned by Tony Gaudiosi, Carlo Colucci and his father, Sam Colucci, opened four years ago. Gaudiosi said the partners laid out $790,000 for the building on Fort Harrison and extensive upgrades, with the intention of targeting the "sophisticated crowd," said Gaudiosi, who came here when he was a teenager and attended Countryside High School.

After a few years of success, attendance numbers dipped, and the owners had to take action to keep things fresh.

"Every two or three years you want to do something new," Gaudiosi said.

So the club closed from June to July and underwent $475,000 in renovations, including the addition of the Bottle Lounge, where customers can purchase bottles of scotch, vodka, wine and champagne.

"It's glamorous. A lot of people don't like the crowds at Ybor, so they come here," said Scott MacIsaac, the manager. "We've had Hulk Hogan here, Bubba the Love Sponge, Kirstie Alley, Bucs players and Devil Rays players."

The club's owners have a sister club in Ybor City called Prana.

Gaudiosi said that other than Liquid Blue and nearby Club More, which attracts a more concert-oriented crowd, "there's no nightlife in Clearwater, no cool stuff."

He said that when he and Carlo Colucci, whom he has known for 18 years, decided to open the club in downtown Clearwater, their friends said they were crazy.

"When Liquid Blue opened up, the nightlife in Clearwater was horrible," he said. "People think Clearwater is hillbilly. They think Ybor is upscale."

Liquid Blue is a "destination club, not like Ybor, where there is one club after another," he said. Customers don't mind driving from St. Petersburg or even Tampa, he said.

Sue Jessup, 35, of Tampa, came to Liquid Blue after hearing about the club on the radio. She was with two friends who were celebrating a bachelorette party.

"I'm surprised at how small it is, but this is really cool," said Jessup, an assistant physical therapist. "I walked in and saw the chandelier. I don't like a straight bar with nothing artistic. I am originally from Chicago. There was a bar there called the Limelight. This bar is something like it."

If you go:

Liquid Blue is at 22 N Fort Harrison Blvd. It is open from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. There is different theme each night. Cover charges vary from $5 to $10. For information or to rent out the club for a private party, call (727) 446-4000.

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