Tucked somewhere down the line of vintage clothing stores on San Francisco’s historical Haight Street sits a quaint pub, comically named “Mad Dog In The Fog.” There, you’ll find patrons from all over the city hiding away from the fog lingering outside its doors. With a pint in hand and chatting up its long-time owner, Cyril Hackett, you may also hear Train’s beloved ‘Drops Of Jupiter’ playing through the speakers overhead. In fact, Train’s music has been playing inside Mad Dog In The Fog for a long time now. On the barstools inside, almost 32 years ago, is where the band members of Train including its lead singer Pat Monahan met and spent a lot of their time together. Its owner, Cyril, was one of the first people to champion the band’s music and one of the first to hire them to sing inside. Now, Pat and the band have returned home to play new album, Mad Dog In The Fog, aptly named after their favorite pub. You can stream the new album now!
“It’s been over four years since our last album, and we channeled a special energy into this record that really defines all parts of who we are as a band. Mad Dog in the Fog is one of the first places in San Francisco where Train came together as a band. It was the first venue to pay us to play, and its owner, Cyril, has been one of our biggest champions from the beginning. So it only felt right to name this album in its honor.”
Pat Monahan shared in a press release
Singing ‘Mad Dog In The Fog’ At Its Namesake
Bringing this iconic music history right back to the place where it began, Train hosted “Love on Haight Block Party” to celebrate the beautiful city of San Francisco on the street where their band’s history began. Right outside of Mad Dog In The Fog, Train shut down Haight Street to sing songs, old and new, for fans. The free hometown concert drew a crowd of hundreds, and even those who couldn’t secure an RSVP for the roped-off section near the stage, were able to crowd the streets just to get a glance of the band. And, of course, what’s singing the lyrics to ‘Mad Dog in the Fog’ without sipping on a beer from the actual bar?
San Francisco’s mayor, Daniel Lurie, made a surprise appearance congratulating the band on their new album and welcoming patrons to the event. When we say that the whole city showed up, we mean the whole city showed up!
Hearing New Songs For The First Time & Hearing Oldies For The Hundredth Time
Naturally, with a new album about to release, Train played some new tracks for the roaring crowd. Featured on the short setlist was ‘To Gloria,’ ‘Pennsylvania Turnpike,’ ‘Blue Brush-Footed Butterfly,’ and ‘Mad Dog in the Fog.’ Pat did give the crowd what they were waiting for though, and that was the hits! In between the new songs, old favorites were sung, such as ‘Drive By,’ ‘Hey, Soul Sister,’ and ‘Save Me, San Francisco.’ If you were taking a nice stroll through Golden Gate Park not far away, you could probably hear hundreds of people scream-singing “I been rock ‘n roll and disco. Won’t you save me San Francisco.”
During the entire set, Pat was sharing his love for the San Francisco locals by throwing roses, free t-shirts, guitar picks, and drumsticks into the crowd. If you looked up, you would see people standing on the roof of the nearby vintage clothing stores and even on the roof of Mad Dog In The Fog itself. Whether it was a physical item of memorabilia or a newfound appreciation for the band that they grew up listening to, everyone in attendance went home with something meaningful.
Catch Train Perform It Live!
If you got major FOMO from not being on Haight Street like every other non-San Franciscan, you can see Train perform the new songs from Mad Dog In The Fog while they are still out on tour. There is simply no better feeling than hearing ‘Hey, Soul Sister’ live. Get tickets to the Drops of Jupiter: 25 Years in the Atmosphere Tour here! Have you seen Train perform live? Were you in the crowd at the “Love on Haight Block Party” with us? Buzz with us about it all on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
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