We've all heard his electronic music in commercials. How many of us can say we were at the Harvard Square Theatre - when it was one stage and could be used as a concert venue - to see Gary Numan and his band set up on a lit, boxed stage that resembled "Hollywood Squares?'' We can, we did, we loved it. We thought robotic, remote electro-pop had arrived! (It did have a good run.) Numan was controversial in his native England for openly courting success and - ahem - trivializing and commercializing the music. We disagreed then and we disagree now that he's back at the Paradise Aug. 6. We saw him a few years back at the Middle East Downstairs and it was no cheap nostalgia trip - these songs of paranoia and alienation made just as much sense today and newer, funkier ones were OK, too. Tickets: $20. With New Skin and Protokoll. Starts at 8 p.m.

967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8800. Thedise.com