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.

At the same time, VAN HALEN released details of its upcoming North American tour, which will kick off on February 18 in Louisville, Kentucky. Tickets for the tour will begin going on sale January 14. KOOL AND THE GANG will open for VAN HALEN on selected tour stops.

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