Robbie Fulks: The songwriter-raconteur will pay tribute to Michael Jackson, drawing on the array of adventurous Jackson covers – from “Mama’s Pearl” to “Billie Jean” -- collected on Fulks’ fine 2010 album, “Happy,” 9 p.m. Friday at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Av., $15; lincolnhallchicago.com.

Willie Nelson: The Texas maverick just keeps rolling along, his mellifluous voice and jazzy guitar playing anchoring a cavalcade of honky-tonk hits and outlaw-country anthems, 8 p.m. Friday at  Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., $45, $60, $70; ticketmaster.com.

Joe Boyd and Robyn Hitchcock present “Chinese White Bicycles”: Visionary producer Boyd will read excerpts from his excellent ‘60s memoir, “White Bicycles,” while Hitchcock will play the music of Syd Barrett, Nick Drake and other Boyd favorites, 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N Lincoln Ave., $35, $33, $31; 773-728-6000.

 greg@gregkot.com

At one time, Robbie Fulks probably wouldn’t have been on the short list of artists most likely to do a sincere – much less sincerely great --  Michael Jackson tribute. As the songwriter says, “My style is to take things from a contrarian viewpoint,” and Jackson’s career lends itself to all sorts of contrarian sarcasm.

But Fulks says he learned a few things about the King of Pop when he was invited in 1999 to perform a birthday tribute concert to Jackson at the Cultural Center. His respect and appreciation for the singer deepened to the point where last year Fulks released an excellent Jackson tribute album, “Happy: Robbie Fulks Plays the Music of Michael Jackson” (robbiefulks.com), and will perform a Jackson-themed concert March 18 at Lincoln Hall. No doubt there will be a few humorous moments in the show, but Fulks says when removed from all the craziness around Jackson’s life, the singer’s music holds up remarkably well.

 “All that celebrity pop music is so far from me now, but in the ‘60s through 1980, to be young and with my head halfway into radio, his music was part of my world,” Fulks says. “In thinking about it, listening to his music, getting more acquainted with it, it was amazing that he was always there for so long. He not only kept up with the times, he stayed a step ahead of them for 25 years. That in itself is culturally significant.”

Robbie Fulks: Chicago’s answer to Jon Stewart is singer-songwriter-raconteur-comedian Fulks, who wraps up the year with his very own topical variety show, 9 p.m. Wednesday at FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn, $15; ticketweb.com.

Umphrey’s McGee: The locals have become fixtures on the jam-band scene, but they’ve also started to hone their songwriting. as demonstrated on last year’s “Mantis,” 7 p.m. Wednesday and 8 p.m. Thursday ($31.50) and 10 p.m. Friday ($74) at the Riviera, 4746 N. Racine; etix.com. 

greg@gregkot.com