Fri. Best Bets 12/26 8:15pm Pop Music

Having drawn mixed response with his recent stage musical “Harmony,” Barry Manilow returns to the realm of the sure thing--the concert stage. The Brooklyn boy who writes the songs will deliver them in a four-night Universal Amphitheatre stand capped by a New Year’s Eve performance.

* Barry Manilow, Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, $29-$94. Through Sunday. Also Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., $28-$128. (818) 622-4440.