Van Halen Record Release Party

JUMPING FOR VAN HALEN: Last night’s Van Halen release party for their Interscope album, A Different Kind of Truth, featured the band performing an hour-long, 13-song set inside the historic Jim Henson Studios once occupied by Charlie Chaplin and A&M Records, a star-studded old-school affair. The wraparound LCD video screens were only outdone by the brightness of the shit-eating grins on the faces of David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who seemed genuinely pumped to perform, along with the latter’s 20-year-old son, bassist Wolfgang and brother Alex in his accustomed place behind the drum kit. Starting off with a cover of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” and including classics like “Running with the Devil,” “Everybody Wants Some,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Panama,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Ice Cream Man” (with Dave on acoustic guitar), “Ain’t Talkin' 'Bout Love” and the encore, “Jump,” accompanied by two lines of samba-styled showgirls and accompanying drum corps, the band was in high spirits. The foursome also performed a trio of new songs from the album, including the first single, “Tattoo,” “The Trouble with Never” and “She’s the Woman,” an original demo the band unearthed and re-recorded, beofre climaxing in streams of confetti floating down from above. Guests who mingled among the various food trucks on the lot included UMG head Lucian Grainge; Live Nation’s Irving Azoff and Michael Rapino; Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine, Steve Berman, Brenda Romano, Candace Berry and Dennis Dennehy; UMe’s Bruce Resnikoff, Mansion on the Hill author Fred Goodman, Scoop’s Larry Solters, Wolfgang’s mom Valerie Bertinelli and more. The album streets Feb. 7, while the U.S. tour gets underway Feb. 18 in Louisville, KY. The group will play a special "friends and family" show next Wednesday (2/8) at the Forum. (2/2p)