Liza Minnelli on stage at the Soapbox? Believe it ! (By Zach Hanner, Star-News Correspondent)

When I heard that ska/punk legends Fishbone would be playing a party at the Soapbox for the cast and crew of My Life In Idlewild, I eagerly agreed to sacrifice a Sunday of football-watching to tend bar for Soapbox manager-owner Brent Watkins.

Now, I've seen Fishbone maybe a half-dozen times, and their live show is always on point, but I had no idea that before the party ended, I would also get to see Broadway legend Ben Vereen, pop singer Macy Gray ? and have a chance to serve Liza Minnelli a drink or two.

The party, a celebration for everyone who worked on the HBO film, which stars OutKast and has been shooting around the region, started slowly about 4 p.m. Cast and crew trickled in and eventually Fishbone took the stage.

With Idlewild director Bryan Barber proclaiming, "This is going to be an all-out jam!" the band launched in to a funky groove punctuated by an ongoing refrain of At the Soapbox! Lead singer and saxophonist Angelo Moore offered the microphone to anyone wanting to get up and get involved, and Soapbox co-owner and Changing Channels comic Sandy Summers was first on stage, freestyling and profiling with some remarkably good lyrics off the top of her head.

The jam continued as Ms. Gray, who will make her big-screen debut in Idlewild, took the mic for a bit of soulful scatting. Then Mr. Vereen, who also stars in the film, jumped on stage, and took over. Blending easily with Fishbone's funky flavor, Mr. Vereen turned into manic-preacher-man, exhorting the crowd to move and sway, saying, "We've discovered a new way to express hip-hop!" a reference to Idlewild stars Big Boi and Andre 3000.

That was when soundman Jimmy Phillips turned to me and asked me for a shot of bourbon for ... Miss Liza Minnelli...

OK. I've met a lot of famous people in my day, but right in front of me, in the Soapbox, was Liza-freakin'-Minnelli. After a couple of shots of courage, Miss Minnelli took the stage and began to tell the crowd how proud she was of their work on the film. The band lowered the volume, but that wasn't enough for the diva. She made them stop playing altogether and began singing an old standard a capella.

Everyone listened respectfully, but this was not Miss Minnelli's finest moment. Incoherent and rambling, Miss Minnelli was saved by Fishbone's abrupt resumption of the jam, and the party got back on track.

A few of the other Idlewild actors from took the stage for some improvisational rapping, and before long, Big Boi and crew shuffled into the club. Performing the OutKast hit I Like the Way You Move, the group had cast and crew on their feet dancing like the rapture was nigh. That, however, was the only OutKast performance of the night, as a conspicuously absent Andre 3000 never showed. Word was he was at an out-of-town recording session.

Things wrapped up around midnight, and the gracious film crew stumbled out, looking at a 6 a.m. wake-up call. I made some good dough, got to enjoy a set by one of my favorite bands and saw Ben Vereen and Liza Minnelli in action. Let's hope that My Life In Idlewild hits it big, and talented performers like these bring some more business back to our town. Next time, maybe, Bernadette Peters.

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