Jamiroquai’s jazzy disco, Moon Taxi’s jams, Jacob Banks’ gritty soul, Rapsody’s raps close North Coast

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The soggy start that found North Coast Music Festival evacuating Union Park before Miguel and DJ Snake headlined on Friday and Saturday flipped to sunnier skies for a closer that more than made up for the disappointment. That’s because London’s rarely touring Jamiroquai jumped back in the game after at least 13 years away from Chicago with this particular show being amongst a very small handful even visiting America.

In addition to North Coast’s sweet score of Jamiroquai, indie/alternative/jam rockers Moon Taxi served as direct support, unpacking a mound of major sing-a-longs.

Thankfully, Jay Kay and company’s funky/acid jazz/jammy take on disco made up for the lengthy gap thanks to throwdowns from 2017’s “Automaton” back to its beginnings in the early 1990s. It didn’t matter the point of reference or exact year released since every tune Jamiroquai touched had a jubilant, futuristic angle that translated both carefree subjects and topical issues through the lens of the dance floor.

Though the players and background singers performed many key cuts from its more than 25-year career including “Little L,” “Space Cowboy,” “Alright,” “Canned Heat” and “Love Foolosophy,” they shockingly skipped primary hit “Virtual Insanity,” which hasn’t exactly been worn out given how infrequently everyone comes around. Nor was there an encore, despite being more than deserving of one, and while these stains weren’t enough to spoil the otherwise 90 euphoric minutes, the obvious demand will hopefully prompt Jamiroquai to spend more time on these shores and reconsider these short-sighted decisions.

In addition to North Coast’s sweet score of the main attraction, indie/alternative/jam rockers Moon Taxi served as direct support, unpacking a mound of major sing-a-longs from “Two High” and “Not Too Late” on down. Fellow main stagers The Midnight continue blowing up online with ‘80s-centric sounds that land somewhere between the “Miami Vice” soundtrack or a John Hughes movie and had no trouble translating them to real life in just its seventh overall show.

The continuously-expanding North Coast also got a helping of gritty soul from Jacob Banks, the English singer/songwriter whose voice was so massive it reached well beyond the baseball field he slayed. Classic hip-hop descendent Rapsody added rhymes and dream-chasing encouragement to the proceedings, while Kami kept emerging as one of Chicago’s own most engaging rappers who added extra soulful flavor to a fest that always lives up to its slogan as being the ideal spot to experience “Summer’s Last Stand.”