Five years ago Sunday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall and turned much of New Orleans into a swampy wreck.

To mark the date, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band on Sunday flooded the rolling field surrounding the Long's Park amphitheater with the relentless enthusiasm of zydeco.

Chenier has polished the musical merger of Cajun, Creole and blues sounds, and the audience on Sunday responded with tireless zeal.

The band — which, besides Chenier's vocals and accordion, includes guitar, bass, drums and washboard — strolled on stage in silence, but all it took was Chenier's raised hand for the applause to begin.

"Everybody feelin' all right?" he asked. The audience roared. Then Chenier played a few quick riffs on his accordion before crunching into the first song — and the dance floor filled in record time.

The dancers didn't let up 'til the encore wound down nearly two hours later, putting an end to the 2010 summer series.

Chenier has been called "the best living zydeco singer and accordionist" by Living Blues magazine. He worked to keep that title fresh on Sunday, belting out the lyrics with rough-edged vocals perfectly suited to the bayou sound on songs like "Finger Lickin' Chicken" and "Zydeco Boogie."

"Shucks, I'm having a good time, y'all," Chenier said.

Stella Sexton, director of the summer music series, recalled the final show in 2005, when another zydeco band — Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie — was onstage.

"We often end the season with zydeco," Sexton said. "People love to dance, and zydeco always brings them out."

But that year, Katrina was churning toward Louisiana as they performed, "and I remember," Sexton said, "they were all worried about their families back home."

This year, the concert series ended on a picture-perfect note.

The sun set quickly once the music began, with flying geese making dramatic silhouettes against the horizon and Venus dominating the sky over the southern tree line.

About 6,000 people turned out for the show, Sexton said.

Abby Sullivan and Brandon Tennis, both of Lancaster, were sprawled comfortably on the grass, eyes closed and soaking up a bit of the late-evening sun.

"It's a good excuse to get outside," Sullivan said. "It's nice to be lying around, doing nothing and listening to music."

"These guys are fantastic," Tennis added, with a nod to the stage. "I can't believe this is free. Way to go, Lancaster."

For Matt Hoffman, a night of music was a last-minute inspiration.

"I just wanted to take my son for a walk," he said. "Then I remembered there was a concert, so we're here."

While 8-year-old Zelig ran off a little energy, Hoffman was enjoying the laid-back event.

"What's not to like? I live in downtown Lancaster. So you're in the city and you're hot, and 20 minutes later you're in this beautiful park with good music," he said.

"It's such a great atmosphere," Lori Kalbach of Mount Joy said as she shared the evening with her husband, Art, and a pair of docile canines, Harmony and Buddy.

"And I'm so glad this is now a nonsmoking event."

tknapp@lnpnews.com