Friday, January 29: The only problem with Michael Jackson? He couldn’t rock. Don’t get us wrong, we love the guy. He was a fashion icon, a tremendous musician and had legs that Fred Astaire couldn’t touch, but he simply wasn’t the full package. Tonight, a bunch of heavy-metal bands will give us a taste of what the King of Pop could have been if he’d truly eclipsed Elvis as the King of Rock and Roll.

Saturday, January 30: Fans of blues are never happier than when legend Danny Kalb performs at Barbes. First of all, Kalb’s hashmarks go way back to the 1960s, even before he founded the Blues Project with Al Kooper. Now, performing in a trio, Kalb mixes blues classics with his own compositions. The tiny Barbes is the best place to see him.

Monday, February 1: Look, we haven’t always been so generous to the Brooklyn Bridge Park — that’s because it’s a waterfront development, not a park. But with the first permanent section about to open, let’s put aside politics and raise some money for the Park Conservancy, which runs events in the existing greenspace.

Thursday, February 4: Finally, the women of the Wasabassco Burlesque have come up with a great gimmick: a beach party! Wear your own bathing suit and let the winter melt away as G-string-wearing strippers turn up the heat. Drink specials for anyone who gets in the swimsuit spirit.

Saturday, February 6: Our own Thurston Dooley III, the world’s only full-time puppetry, mime and kids’ music critic, gave a thumbs-down to Dan Zanes’s new showtunes LP, but Dooley also urges everyone to go to the kiddie Dylan’s live shows. Zanes’s band always cooks — and there’ll be more special guests than at the Last Waltz!