There was barely room to breathe November 3 at Fred’s Lounge in Mamou, a hole-in-the-wall world-famous for beer drinking and Cajun dancing at 8 a.m. (yes, 8 a.m.), Saturdays. A few couples tried to two-step in the tight-as-sardines crowd, careful not to bump into others waving handkerchiefs in the air.

Native son and accordion icon Steve Riley, and his Mamou Playboys band, sang the...