Since the 1950s, the Greenwich Village club was a starting ground and home to many entertainers, including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen, as well as comedians Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby.
Van Halen’s media-only show at Café Wha? last Thursday was based on a very personal connection to the band: singer David Lee Roth’s uncle Manny Roth owned and operated the venue through its original heyday, eventually selling it in 1988.
But it was here that a young David Lee visited in his own early days, hanging with his uncle and soaking up the New York atmosphere at one the hippest rooms in the city.
In the middle of a set packed with VH classics, Roth took a few minutes out to pay tribute to, and talk about, his 92-year-old uncle, who was on hand to witness rock history.
“I carved my name in one of the banisters down here when I was 7 years old,” said Dave, sharing the story of his very first visit to the Café Wha? “This is a temple. This is a very special place. And I am more nervous about playing this gig than I would ever be at the [Madison Square] Garden.”
Last week’s VH show was to help promote their forthcoming new album, “A Different Kind Of Truth,” due February 7; the project’s first single, “Tattoo,” is set for release on Tuesday.
Van Halen – David Lee Roth’s Ode To Uncle Manny
Café Wha? – New York City – January 5, 2012
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