Headliners Entertainment Venue

Hours: Open daily, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cover: Most nights it's $5 to $10, but the cover for national acts is in the $25 to $30 range.

Signature drink: Headliners has no specialty, but they stock the bar with every imaginable top-shelf liquor.

Specials: Thursday is ladies night, when women drink for free. A Corporate Happy Hour is Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. with light hors d'oeuvres and drink specials. Saturday is a straight-up dance party, while Sunday features the "Blast From the Past" concert series.

What to wear: Headliners is part nightclub, part live music venue, so couture choices can get interesting. Jeans and shorts are allowed, but with stores like Neiman Marcus and Hugo Boss nearby, you're better off going with something more stylish. For ladies, short skirts and low tops are the norm. Guys stick with slacks and untucked dress shirts.

The scene: What you find at Headliners depends heavily on the day of the week or the talent on stage. A live band brings the interactive vibe of people singing along and dancing. But the nightclub vibe can be completely different, with young professionals sipping cocktails while the latest dance music blares. The one constant: The slightly narcissistic crowd always brings a chic attitude.

The crowd: There's crossover between Headliners' clientele and that of International Plaza, which means lots of beautiful women and young to middle-aged gentlemen with money to spend.

The scoop: There's no way to get around the fact that Headliners is a club in a mall. But don't confuse this with any old bar in a strip mall. International Plaza/Bay Street is arguably one of the most upscale shopping and nightlife destinations in Tampa.

Headliners has enough class to make you forget the food court just outside the door. With a posh VIP room, three dance levels and private seating, this venue blows away any stereotype you might have of a live music club.

The owners of Kahunaville at Bay Street designed the venue with an upscale nightclub in mind. But they took things a bit further by putting in a sound system to accommodate national music acts. They booked a house band for one night a week, dance music DJs most other nights, and plan to bring in at least one big-name band a month. Smash Mouth opened the room last month, and Tonic is playing January 15.

Headliners' capacity is 400 to 500 people, making it one of the more intimate live music venues in the area.

By Doug Van Sant