Van Halen to Play Intimate Club Gig at New York's Cafe Wha? on Thursday

12:30 PM PST 1/3/2012 by Shirley Halperin

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The band, set to release its first album with original singer David Lee Roth since 1984, also will reunite with the iconic West Village venue that Roth's uncle Manny owned.

After days of rehearsals at Sunset Strip club The Roxy, Van Halen's live show appears to be ready for primetime.

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The band, which has reunited with original singer David Lee Roth for their first album together since 1984 (the as-yet-untitled effort is due out on Feb. 7), is set to take the stage at New York's Cafe Wha? (capacity: 250) on Jan. 5.

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The West Village watering hole was a popular spot in the 1960s and ’70s when artists such as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and Peter, Paul & Mary performed there and downtown luminaries such as poet Allen Ginsberg were regulars.

Prior to being sold in 1988, Cafe Wha? was owned by Manny Roth, David Lee Roth's uncle. The club's website notes that it will be "closed Thursday for a private event," but it links to a Ustream feed which might webcast the performance (UPDATE: the link has since been removed).

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In November, Van Halen signed with Interscope after three decades at Warner Bros. Records. The day after Christmas, the band released video footage of its recent practice sessions; on New Year's Eve, the album art for its highly anticipated album debuted on a billboard above the Times Square McDonald's.

Twitter: @shirleyhalperin