How do you take stock of a career that has spanned a half-century? If you’re Michel Rivard, you do what you’ve always done: take it to the stage. The legendary Quebec singer-songwriter is a raconteur extraordinaire. So when it came time to look back on 50 years of tall tales and timeless tunes, during which he conjured some of the most enduring music of his generation, Rivard made a show of it. Created in early 2023, Le tour du bloc took audiences on a stroll down memory lane, revisiting various eras of his impressive career. The two-part set opens with the title track, the only new tune of the lot, during which Rivard, accompanied by acoustic guitar and female backing vocals, wistfully looks at the highs and lows of life, switching from singing to talking, and offering a mix of poetry and humour. He has a blast singing “La Complainte du phoque en Alaska,” a classic from his old band Beau Dommage, which, judging by the sing-along and ensuing cheers from the crowd, still resonates as much as ever. The ’80s solo standout “Un trou dans les nuages” retains its synth-imbued magic and mystery, as Rivard croons from the point of view of a village idiot who dreams of escaping this world. But across that career survey, he’s always putting things in perspective: “Viellir,” near album’s end, is a poignant between-song rumination on living a long life.