Limelight

Truth be told, I didn’t go inside to see any bands. I was looking for a place to watch the Spurs in the playoffs as I was going to another venue for a different band. I happened upon Limelight and it looked interesting. The bar is well stocked, although nothing amazing, it has a good selection of beers and a broad selection of drinks. Bartender seemed to know what she was doing and moved through the crowd efficiently. She also seemed to be pleasant to all of the customers which made the whole bar seemed like a nice place to hang out. They had two screens with the Spurs on and so I settled myself in to enjoy a beer. Not too many on tap but quite a good selection of bottles and cans. This is definitely a younger crowd, butt if you enjoy the type of music that they’re playing, it seems like a good place to swing by to see what’s going on.

We went to Limelight last night after scoring some tickets for a show through do210. It was free, so we figured why not?
We walked up and down St. Mary’s a couple of times around 8:30, because even though it said doors at 8:30, there were no lights on. I heard there was a technical issue (or something) but it was still a little frustrating to wait outside in the cold not knowing when exactly they were opening.
Once they did open however, we were impressed with the drink specials. Wells for $ 1.50 from 9 – 11, say what?! And all of their beer was $ 4 or under. I totally took advantage of that special and got some delicious IPAs that are way more expensive elsewhere.
I can see the frustration from some of the other Unilocalers who have given Limelight low ratings. The stage is set up in a weird way, so if there’s lots of people at a show you definitely wouldn’t be able to see the band. Luckily for us (sad for the bands) there weren’t very many people there so we were able to get pretty close.
We had a great time, and the drink specials alone will keep us coming back.

Meh. Couldn’t see the stage. Don’t think they have any food. Didn’t really care about the band.

We went to see Nina Diaz. The band sounded great but if you want to actually see the band playing, you have to be in the first few rows. You can not see the bands from ¾ of the venue. The stage is lower than the ga floor. I have never been to a venue where you could not see the live act you paid to watch. I will never see a band there again.

So there are a lot of bad issues to the Limelight. I dislike it more than I like it. One thing they do have good beer options and the bar staff has always been swift and somewhat decent. The view for concerts in this place is not for the short. It’s narrow and the stage isn’t really raised for the space. This set up allows the area to get super packed and stuffy quick. The bathrooms are one of the worst I’ve been in. I don’t expect decadence from this kind of place. But every time they seem to run out of tp. Stains surround the place, everything is sticky and gross. Plus the lack of mirrors and soap just push it over the top.

This place was disgusting and very disappointing. Came here for Cannabis Corpse and waited close to three hours, to never see anyone so much as JAM on stage. The ticket said that the show was to start at 7:00 pm. Seven rolled around and I walked to the front. One of the employees told me that the show wouldn’t start for another hour and I couldn’t wait in the smoking area, despite the fact that there was another fan who was doing so. This was aggravating since I had came to the venue an hour early at six pm and waited. Even though I wanted to leave right then and there, I waited another hour in the rain until 8 pm for the show.
The golden hour came, and once inside, I promptly went to the bathroom to find that the three stalls were jacked UP. There was unflushed poop in every toilet. I don’t understand why there would be unflushed poop in every toilet when the only people in the bar were the staff and roadies/​bands setting up. For the first time in my life I used the toilet without my butt touching the seat. I’m surprised that the toilet even flushed afterwards. While washing my hands (I’m surprised there was even soap!) I saw that someone had wrote ‘Slimelight’ on the wall. A deserving name.
Left the bathroom to sit down for another hour waiting for a band, ANY band, to come on stage. Instead, there was a recorded live Slayer concert being played on the speakers. If I wanted to hear Slayer live, I would have seen them live in Austin back in November (at the time of this writing, 2 weeks ago from today). I waited and waited, even walked outside for a half hour on top of that, came back, and there was STILL no one on stage. I ended up leaving not having seen a damn person on stage. Sad.
Also, I felt it was pretty wrong that there teenagers still in high school at the show, waiting hours for a band (that may or may not have shown up). This was on a Thursday (a school night), and these poor kids were out pretty late. If the show even started, and they played a few hours, I doubt that it would have finished before 1 am. Just sucks that those teens would have had to go to school five hours later.
Bottom line: This bar is disgusting and the entertainment of the night never seemed to come on (or if they did, it was at least 2 hours late).
I’ll never go back.

This place is a joke.
Howie Day was scheduled to play there tonight. Apparently, the owners did not pay their electricity bill. CPS turned off their power. Everyone that came for the concert, including the bartenders, had no idea what was going on.
The owner did not even have the courtesy to notify the band, all of whom were waiting outside the property since 5pm.
Fortunately for us, Howie was classy enough to come by and greet the fans. He apologized for the terrible club.
Avoid this bar at all costs!

Crowd can differ widely depending upon what bands are playing but usually a good crowd overall. There is usually a cover on nights that bands play so be prepared to pay it in cash, usually no more than 10 bucks. Decent section of beer and liquor that is very reasonably priced. Not much seating so be ready to stand around a lot if you are there all night.

Let’s see, where should I begin? This was first Wacky’ s, then Strutter’ s, Limelight, the short lived War Room and now it’s the Limelight again. As I am writing this I can sense the degree, to which this particular location has had its share of musical chairs. So why are there so many interests vested in this area?

Well, right now any area along what we locals call, The Strip has become prime as well as hot property. Its proximity to higher places of learning for example, San Antonio College, make it an even more enticing place to mingle and socialize. And much like the heyday of Austin’s Sixth Street, where clubs coexisted in a succession of new and old spaces, similarly this is the reality of St. Mary’s Street. Which brings me to the Limelight.
The latest incarnation of this spot is no different than the Limelight of old. The owner left its old façade intact. The marquee still sits above the building. The patio outside remains the same with its iconic picnic table seating. Inside the bar is still kept simple and bare bones as any place you would find in the town. There are a few tables to sit with among friends. The area by the stage has ample room to enjoy entertainment and the stage is set low, so your view is not obstructed. The drinks are kinda pricey and it is a bit ordinary, so why the four star rating?

Well, in the latest reinterpretation of this spot I appreciate the diversity of the entertainment being booked there. In the past it seemed a bit exclusive and geared towards a more artsy demographic that at times did not reflect the tastes of the community. Nor did it try to reach to a newer audience. A club’s strength isn’t just in how it keeps patrons but also how does it introduce itself to newer ones?
Unlike the Korova, which I still have my misgivings about I think this place is at a good start. It knows it potential audience and also recognizes the city is shifting towards more smaller, friendlier and intimate spaces for experiences. In my opinion, I think the investment is good. Only time will tell. If not you always got the nifty taco truck by Hardbodies to commiserate at midnight to. I think…