Sat. June 2

 At the end of 1991, the Bags - beloved Boston hard rock/punk trio with a sense of humor - committed career suicide. They celebrated the release of their second album, "Night of the Corn People" by breaking up. They did a one-off reunion in 1996, but then got more serious about it in 2004. The next year they released "Sharpen Your Sticks." This time, no breakup. The Bags are still with us in 2007 and just released "Mount Rockmore," which will be celebrated at T.T. the Bear's Place Saturday June 2, with the Prime Movers and the Curses. On the record: some Satan, a nuclear warning, a lot about being messed up, misery, some death and a rock-operaish opus called "Dark Days in the Valley."Some mind-bending guitar leads and, yes, that little bit of humor that doesn't wave the big joke flag - like drummer Jim Janota's other band the Upper Crust - but suggests these guys haven't lost that tongue-in-cheek thing. Starts at 9:30. Tickets: $10.

10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-492-0082 ttthebears.com

Thurs. May 31

You've got to give Paul McCartney credit. Yes, we've always chosen Lennon in the Big Debate, but the man has persevered and continued to make music through Linda's illness and death and now that pending divorce to Heather Mills. This will no doubt set a record for divorce money in Britain. Coincidentally, we were talking to Bryan Ferry lately and he said he held the (dubious) record in England for payment to an ex-spouse, and suggested it might be one reason he made an album of Dylan covers (coming mid-June) and is on tour. McCartney's motives? Well, he is richer than a Saudi Arabian oil baron, so that's probably not it. It's probably something as basic as: Because that's what he does. It's what he knows how to do and loves. On his upcoming (June 5) CD, Big Mac gives it the title "Memory Almost Full." That's cool - a computer-age reminder from PC or Mac (get it! ha!) and a commentary on the passing of time. What's the music like? We haven't heard it either, but we may do so Thursday May 31 at the Hard Rock Cafe, starting at 6 p.m for a listening party. The first 250 people get lithographs (of what we're not sure) and the rest get to ponder the Beatles and wonder, once again, whether the old guy's got it. We've wavered on this, and admit nothing has stuck to us like those old tunes. But we're always interested, and the Hard Rock is opening the doors, early for a sneak peak. Co-promoted by WZLX. Free.

131 Clarendon St., 617-424-7625 hardrock.com

Thurs. May 31

There's is something completely cool about what the Mahavishnu Project is doing. First off, you'll not it's Project, not Orchestra, so you shan't confuse it with guitarist John McLaughlin's A-level jazz-rock fusion band of the early '70s. Thirty or so years after the Orchestra's breakup, the Project carries has raised the Orchestra from the Dead. That is, drummer-composer Gregg Bendian put this unit together to bring back some vital music many peole may have missed first time around. (Or not been born yet, such is life. Bendian heard it as a child.) Bendian says, "Around 1996 I became fed up and disillusioned with the current state of jazz repertory ... I realized that if a band can play Ellington, Armstrong, Bird, Miles, Monk and Coltrane ... then I'm going to embrace what my history is and decide what my repertory is." McLaughlin has given more than his nod, sending the MP a note "of appreciation for what you are bringing back to life. This music period was the beginning of finding my own way in music and to hear you guys playing those junes in such an unbelievable way is quite amazing. Great job! Keep up the good work." The music is both fluid and disruptive, with Indian accents, screaming-but-lyrical guitar playing - it's a heady sense of adventure. It's complex, but far from inaccessible. The Project kicks it up at the Regattabar Thursday May 31 for a show at 7:30. Tickets: $15.

One Bennet St., Cambridge, 617-395-7757 regattabarjazz.com

Wed. May 30 – Sun, June 10

 Martha Mason celebrates the tenth anniversary of the company she helms, Snappy Dance Theatre, with a show called “String Beings” at the Calderwood Pavilion’s Wimberly Theatre Wednesday May 30 through Sunday June 10. It is not a typical dance performance; that’s not what Snappy does. They’re collaborating with MIT computer, who’ll be using computer programs to manipulate live images of the eight dancers and project the animated video onto the stage, in effect, mixing live and virtual performance. They’ll use three cameras and multiple screens. The music is by Berlin composer Michael Roadach, and it will be performed by BSO violinist Lucia Lin and Berklee College of Music electric guitarist Michael Bierylo.
     Says Mason: “For some people who are hesitant about seeing a dance performance - thinking they’re not gonna get it - they might be interested in the multimedia aspect of this. The electric guitar and violin, sound loops, images used as digital puppets and dancers manipulating those digital images. The digital image in front projects an alternative dimension of what’s happening in the relationship.” The relationship? “It’s really about the simple and the profound,” says Mason, “the strings that connect us as humans, strings that are in our makeup, our DNA, what we have in common, the connection between humanity and technology.”
    Mason is speaking several weeks ahead of the debut. “I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable with it yet,” she says. “We don’t have facilities to (properly) rehearse and it’s extremely stressful. The music’s not finished. I have no idea how things are going to work out. Despite that, I’m pretty happy…. It’s very emotional. Part of the collaborative process is connecting on a deep level to the dancers. There has to be a close connection, a physical and emotional trust. We’re family. And we’re always on the edge. It’s good to stay that way. We put ourselves out there like a hovering Bugs Bunny cartoon, fearlessly and with faith, waiting to see what happens. But we’ve never been stronger as a company.” Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday shows are at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday are at 8 p.m. Tickets: $45-$15.

527 Tremont St., 617-87-4275  CRASHarts.org

ongoing -Wed. May 30

The A.R.T. opened Harold Pinter's (in photo) surreal, existentialist "No Man's Land" May 12. (We saw it press night on Wedensday; our take plus an interview with the Wheelers, the director, David,  and his actor-son, Louis,  will be up on the site by Friday.) Anyway, that makes the timing perfect for Harvard Film Archive's program, "Harold Pinter: Stage to Screen." For the record, we'll say "Betrayal," with Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley, was about the most devastating story we've ever seen on screen about a doomed relationship. It started at the end and ended at the beginning, and it broke your heart to see the reverse downward spiral. And, it surely had a lot of resonance. HFA started  its series of Pinter (the screenwriter) films a week ago Sunday. The lineup includes  "Prime People," "The Homecoming," "The Go-Between," "The Servant," "Accident," "The Last Tycoon," "The French Lieutenant's Woman,""The Comfort of Strangers," and, of course, "Betrayal." Pinter may not make you feel better about the human condition, but he will make you feel part of it. Side note: We were in London in 2003, before the Iraqi war, and saw Pinter speak on stage with Jesse Jackson, Damon Albarn and many other celeb-activists. He was devastating in his scathing critique of Tony Blair and George Bush. Never did it feel so good to be so part of a huge crowd. Even as a Yank. Check the HFA website for the schedule. All shows $8. It ends on Wednesday May 30.

24 Quincy St., Cambridge, 617-495-400 harvard.edu/hfa