BeauSoleil returned to Connecticut Sunday with two shows at The Wolf Den in the Mohegan Sun Casino. The band is arguably the best Cajun band in the world and successfully proves itself to new and old fans at every concert. Bandleader Michael Doucet is also ranked among the best fiddle players alive today and leads BeauSoleil to constantly push to reach even greater heights.

The band’s first show began at 4pm and they immediately had much of the crowd on their feet. Many among the Cajun community come to dance and the opportunity to dance to the best is rarely passed up. The dance crowd never sits down and stays for both shows. You don’t have to dance at a BeauSoleil show but it’s certainly hard to stay still even if you’re seated. Cajun dance lessons were even available to anyone with an interest before the first show.

From a critical viewpoint, as enjoyable as it was, the early show was essentially only a warm up for the later one. The band played through many of their standards and even threw in a new song which will be released on their next album. There were several moments when things just didn’t seem to come together completely. The crowd didn’t mind because they were having fun but the band certainly took note.

The second show was absolute perfection. The band was completely in sync now and wove its Cajun magic for about 80 minutes. The set list had changed significantly and featured a couple more new pieces that will be released next year. Michael Doucet shined with some awesome solos throughout this show and climaxed with an encore medley that should have convinced any non-believers of just how great a musician he really is. The man is the unquestionable master of the Cajun fiddle.

BeauSoleil may have a distinct leader but make no mistake, this is a real band. The rest of the group are all good musicians and work exceptionally well together. That’s the real secret behind their success. This band is a pleasure to see whenever they’re around. If you ever have the opportunity, don’t miss it.