To provide a scalable, and versatile lighting rig that could accommodate multiple types of venues throughout the summer leg of Foo Fighters’ “Everything or Nothing At All” Tour, Lighting Designer Dan Hadley implemented an adaptable and impactful rig featuring the revolutionary Martin MAC One fixture.
One of the most beloved and successful rock bands of the 21st century, Foo Fighters embarked on the “Everything or Nothing At All” Tour in 2024 in support of their 11th studio album “But Here We Are.” Given that the tour stops spanned large indoor venues, outdoor festival stages, and stadiums, Hadley was tasked to create a lighting rig that could be implemented across a wide range of venue types and maintain their basic mission of visually amplifying the band without drawing attention away from them.
After using the Martin MAC Aura fixtures for the first leg of the tour, Hadley decided to implement the recently released MAC One for the band’s summer run of shows. The result was a rig that was both flexible enough to be implemented across a wide array of stage setups, and powerful enough to provide dazzling visuals that matched and heightened the band’s energy and presence throughout the show. With a setlist that includes modern rock classics, calmer acoustic ballads, and sprawling epics, the MAC Ones provided the dexterity and adaptability needed for Hadley and the lighting team to deliver night after night.
“It was a standard Foo Fighters tour in that we don't specialize or limit ourselves to one type of venue, which integrates some challenges and limitations right off the bat,” said Hadley. “We started off in sheds and with some arenas and festivals thrown in, and eventually played stadiums. There’s always a challenge of finding ways to make the lighting rig as bespoke as we can for a shed show or for our headline shows, but also cram as much of it into festivals as we can to bring that same show to a place that is not totally in our control.”
Compact and durable, the MAC One combines beam, wash, and eye-candy fixtures for a new level of innovation and creativity. The MAC One features a high-intensity beam of 375,000 cd, an eclectic Fresnel lens, and a custom-made 120W RGBL LED engine, all of which work together to create powerful beams, lush washes, unique effects, and more. Along with its lightweight design, the MAC One is also compatible with Martin’s VDO Grid Mount System and fourbar and matrix accessories for easier setup and implementation across any rig.
For the Foo Fighters’ lighting rig, Hadley utilized 120 MAC One fixtures to illuminate the band overhead and downstage, as well as to frame the video screen behind the band. Given the band’s penchant to improvise the setlist and extend songs, Hadley found that the MAC Ones were quick and responsive enough to keep up with the band, match the dynamics of a given song, and elevate the audience experience.
“There's a song called ‘These Days,’ where it starts off very quiet with just Dave [Grohl], so I just had one MAC Ultra from up above and one from below with a lavender and amber beam,” Hadley explained, “He also occasionally started doing a guitar cover of The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird,’ and with that we would started to rotate the shutter cassettes as the lights were panning. The MAC One’s speed was probably one of the more remarkable things to see, and the snappiness of the zoom was a great way to add a frenetic energy to the show.”
Throughout the band’s summer leg of the tour, Hadley said that only three of the 120 MAC One fixtures needed to be replaced. He commended the fixture’s ability to consistently deliver stunning visuals and effects across a wide array of venue setups, and especially noted the support he had from Martin throughout the process of bringing the Foo Fighters live experience to life.
“Martin is remarkable,” Hadley added, “The support from the team is incredible, and it's a relationship that I really cherish. They aren’t alone in giving a great level of support, but theirs is unique.”
