DVD review: Music: Jamiroquai – Live in Verona

I was attempting to funk dance in front of our TV. “Whatever, happened to Jamiroquai?” I ask my brother, the owner of the Live in Verona disc spinning in the DVD player- Does it really matter anyway?

British musician Jason Kay and his once popular band seem to have vanished after the release of his 2005 album Dynamite. Yet the tunes off their 2001 release Space Odyssey, which dominate the track list of Live in Verona, remain as some of their most popular work to date and are still widely listened to nine years later.

Released in the midst of their heyday, Live in Verona documented a very passionate and spirited performance filmed on rainy June evening in Italy. Although one would think this would add a romantic feel to the show, but fans at the Arena Di Verona appeared as wild a rugby crowd in the UK. I think this is part of the reason why I still love this DVD so much.

The front man himself obviously plays a big role in the success of this disc which was played a lot at home back then when the idea of music DVDs was still new and novel. Jason Kay’s on-stage theatrics, including a Native American chief-styled glass hat and regular crowd-flirting, makes the show highly watchable and difficult to forget.

As a whole, the band did not disappoint in terms of their musical performance. Enough variation is displayed when compared to the Space Odyssey recording, making the show appear unique. The music is very catchy and I still find myself humming it when ever I hear or think about this band. Some describe it as Jazz and others as funk but I think its wide appeal outside of those circles render it a little less easy to define. I believe that dance, electro, pop and even aboriginal influences are combined by this groundbreaking group to produce the once much-hyped package that is their music.


I don’t think it matters that Jamiroquai doesn’t have any new music. I’d rather listen to quality music from yester year than run the risk of being disappointed by new, unvaried music. I’m beginning to sound much older than I am, but this is the kind of music that my generation will remember associate memories with. Whatever reckless and drunk appearing Jason Kay maybe doing now doesn’t matter, we have his DVD to remember the fun he gave his fans.