09/30/09

entertaining night out!

by jmclennen

i'd read up on this place before coming, mostly good reviews but a couple not-so-great. i'm glad we decided to try it anyway - had a great time. rented a private studio - glad we did it in advance b/c we were there on a sat. and it was packed. probably couldn't have gotten a studio otherwise. well worth it - were able to do that and hang out in stage for a bit. good selection of beer, so that made us happy. ended up staying until close to closing time - would definitely return. fun way to spend a night!

• Pros: great karaoke, crowd
• Cons: gets really crowded, need reservation

07/14/09

my favorite karaoke place

by kimberlyd234233

it's more expensive than other places I know but it's probably because they are right off the common. the space is really nice and the show in the stage is lots of fun. i haven't tried a private room yet but the plan is to get a group of friends and check that out soon.

05/20/09

bachelorette party

by LBSchwartz

Two maid-of-honor friends suggested Limelite Studios to me but I still hesitated because I hadn't been before. I'm really glad we booked here because everyone had a great time even though it was a tough group to please. The bride-to-be got a tad crazy on stage but the place was filled with other bachelorette parties so it was very easy to let loose.

• Pros: unique
• Cons: expensive

04/06/09

best kareoke by far

by LOlson

At first I didn't like the idea of paying a cover to sing kareoke since the places I've gone always were free. After going I see why there is a charge. Its the best kareoke I've seen: really nice facility right off the Common and lots of bells and whistles on the system like recording and touchscreens. I had a lot of fun and have been back a few times. I recommend trying a studio room or doing the club part when the band is playing.

• Pros: live band kareoke, kareoke rooms
• Cons: cover charge

03/20/09

Fun place for karaoke

by Aym

Several of my friends love karaoke so we booked a room here. It's a little pricy since in the private rooms you pay per person/per hour so keep an eye on the time. The drinks aren't too expensive, and the music list is pretty good. The main room gets crowded quickly, but you can see some talented people and some spectacularly untalented ones as well. It's a fun night out.

• Pros: Great music list, private rooms are a lot of fun for groups
• Cons: Main room is small, gets filled to capacity quickly

01/13/09

students try thursday * *

by flannigantown

limlites one of my favorite places but i find the weekend crowd at Limelite a little old. there are bachelorette parties and office stuff and not many college students fri-sat. i ended up there on a thu last week and found out that its college night. it's quieter than the weekend but given that i got in free (cuz of my student id) totally worth it. i see emerson and suffolk ppl there but were trying to spread word to other schools. there arent many under 21 places so its a real find. of course with kareoke cant go wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Pros: lots of recent songs to sing

01/06/09

best karaoke in boston!!!!!!!!!!!

by tracey21190

personally, i don't love karaoke but my best friend does and he took us to limelight this past weekend. we had a BLAST! they have tons of songs and we rented a private studio room. i read ddpaek's review and totally disagree...the bartender made sure i completely understood the contract before i signed and was really helpful with answering my questions. they charge you for the amount of time you're in the room - it's that simple. nothing unreasonable about that at all! you can also rent their portable karaoke systems for private parties and we're thinking of doing it for a house party we're hosting next month...the price is really reasonable and you get the same experience that you have in the studios in your own home!! all in all, i would definitely go back to limelight - i thought the staff was friendly, the audience in the stage area was really fun and the emcee did a great job including everyone and giving them a chance to sing. i think the cover charge is a small price to pay for how much fun we ended up having, and i will definitely go back!! i have to host a bachelorette party this summer and i will be taking the girls to LIMELIGHT!!!

• Pros: Best karaoke in Boston
• Cons: need to make a reservation!

12/10/08

Overpriced and Overrated

by ddpaek

The $5 cover is equivalent to what most karaoke bars charge at the door. But, the drinks are enormously expensive. Their "bar" isn't really a bar either. It's a tiny little counter where 2-3 employees run around behind the counter serving drinks and doing transactions at the same time. In fact, it resembles more like a bowling alley cash register counter. While you're waiting for your next drink, you definitely miss out on your opportunity to catch other people sing or even your chance to sing because you can't see the stage!

Don't even think about reserving a studio. They have 3-4 rooms all varying in size but the issue here is their pricing. Their website claims that they charge $10 per person per hour. Unfortunately, you have to click some links to open up a PDF that details their pricing structure written in fine print. For instance, a group discount is only available on Fridays, which is not listed on their main website. You have to open the PDF to read their Studio Rental Agreement. What's more? They charge in increments of every half hour multiplied by the total number of people you reserved for. Yeah, it's confusing right? You go read it yourself and see if it makes any sense. When do you ever organize a party to have everyone show up all at the same time? Never. This Studio reservation only works if you all showed up together at the same time. Again, none of this is explicitly outlined on their website; only on their agreement policy.

Their song lists are shown on touch-screen monitors. And no, it's not like working your iPhone because these monitors will drive you crazy trying to look for your song. What's more? LimeLight seems to not have most of the songs that other bars have.

LimeLight markets heavily on how so many celebrities came and had fun. I'm not a celebrity and neither are you. Save your money and go to an average karaoke bar where you pay a lot less for your drinks and have equal chance of singing.

10/18/08

limelite rocks!

by MJCalderon77

I got the crew together for a friend's 30th and the naysayers who said karaoke wasn't their thang, ended up with their foot ..uh the mic... in their mouth. It was really a riot! People loved it across the board and our group was a mix of hipsters (not me) and those who don't rage like this too often (me).

So the point of a review is to share the wisdom, so some thoughts on the experience -

1) The room is a must. We did the lounge-y area too but the wait to sing was forever. I think people got more into it anyway without strangers witnessing the insanity.

2) Food is limited. This is NOT a dinner place. Those in our group who skipped the pre-party dinner assumed they could order real food at the bar. Unless chicken fingers are dinner to you, don't plan on more than snacks. We did get a cake and it was good but maybe i was too trashed to notice otherwise.

3) Another reviewer mentioned lines at the bar and yes it was mobbed which was annoying (although I pretty much expect that if a place is worth going to). This is one other reason to do the studio room - the waitress comes to you. Room service = happy me! uninterrupted karaoke - now you're talking.

4) Songs - anyone who goes to kareoke wants to know about songs THEIR song. Fair to say limelite has it, they have tons. Even better, there is no need to try to look through a song book because remembering the alphabet in a drunken state is not easy. It's all fancy schmancey touchscreen so you can just click on a singer and the tracks come up.

5) Price. It isn't crazy by any means ($10 cover is pretty standard for entertainemtn) but the rooms do get expensive espcially when you meant to sing for 2 hours and accidentally stayed for 3.5! Worth it though. I

I would recommend.

• Pros: songs, lots of characters in the mix
• Cons: some lady singing wind beneath my wings???

10/06/08

Never go to Limelight!

by LimelightSUCKS

This place is a complete disaster. There was ONE bartender on a Saturday night! The lines were ridiculous. I got 3 beers and they were all different prices. The DJ sucked and kept putting the SAME people on stage and these guys were wasted and swearing. They were also throwing the microphones around, but she STILL kept letting them go up there. Our group was there for a party, we had a cake. I was told the cake was 45 bucks. When I went to pay for it, the RUDE manager told me the cake was 65. 65 dollars for a cake that looked like my 7 year old nephew made it. When I emailed the contact that I had been working with to reserve tables for the party the next day, she told me I should not have been charged 65 bucks. But I have not heard back from her since...well over a week ago. We will NEVER go back there. 10 dollar admission too, to wait in line forever for a drink and watch the same idiots fall off the stage. NO THANKS!

• Cons: The entire place