VAN HALEN Singer's Ode To Uncle Manny At Cafe Wha? (Video)

VAN HALEN returned to the stage for the first time since the end of its 2007/2008 reunion tour on Thursday night (January 5) when the band performed at the tiny Cafe Wha? nightclub in downtown Manhattan. The gig also served to kick off the promotional campaign for "A Different Kind Of Truth", which is now officially confirmed to arrive on February 7.

The set list for the evening's show stuck to VAN HALEN classics from the six albums of the initial David Lee Roth era, with the exception of a tune called "She's The Woman". That song originally appeared on the 1976 demo, produced by KISS bassist Gene Simmons, that got VAN HALEN their record deal with Warner Bros. It was left off the group's 1978 debut but is rumored to have been resurrected for the new disc.

The capacity crowd at the 250-person club mostly consisted of press and members of the entertainment industry.

Roth at one point introduced his uncle, 92-year-old Manny Roth, who used to run Cafe Wha? and introduced a young Bob Dylan to the stage decades ago.

"Last time I stood on a stage this low, we had to have the car back by midnight, man!" Roth told the crowd with a laugh.

"It took us 50 years to get this gig. It was easier getting into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame than getting this gig," said Roth. "This is a temple. This is a very special place. And I am more nervous about this gig than I would ever be at the Garden."

During the intro to "Ice Cream Man", Roth spoke about the impact his uncle Manny had on him. The frontman told a story about first stepping foot inside the club when he was seven years old and hearing a calypso steel drummer playing. "I carved my name on one of these banisters."

"But perhaps more importantly," Roth added. "That was the same year my uncle sat on this stage exactly as I stand here in front of you and said 'Hey I got a new poet, a new folk singer, his name's Bobby Zimmerman (later Bob Dylan). He needs a place to shack up. True story.'"

Manny Roth, who now lives in California, told Billboard.biz he hadn't stepped foot inside the club he built, ran and later sold in 15-20 years. "David called my three or four days ago. He woke me up and said, 'Manny, you won't believe this but I came full circle. I'm headlining at the Cafe Wha? and I want you to come.' I'm not traveling much these days, but then my loved ones all convinced me I should come," he said.

Roth's review of his nephew's performance: "He was phenomenal. Dave is as good as it gets. He's like a son to me."