Cameo at the legendary Paradiso in Amsterdam

Upgrade for the Upstairs Hall

Hardly any other concert venue in Europe enjoys as much of a cult status as the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Since its opening in 1968 in a former church building from the 19th century, the Paradiso has become one of the most important cultural institutions in the Netherlands. Music club, concert venue and debating chamber all in one, the programme ranges from international pop acts to political discussions and book presentations. In order to keep pace with the technical requirements of modern productions, the music venue regularly invests in its equipment – always in harmony with the listed building fabric. In 2024, the lighting technology in the Upstairs Hall, Paradiso’s smaller auditorium with a capacity of around 210 people, was scheduled for complete renewal. The goal: a modern, purely LED-based setup with compact, powerful and flexible lighting fixtures – realised with products from Cameo.

Customised for historic rooms

The lighting technology for Paradiso was supplied by the full-service lighting partner Airlight in close cooperation with AmpcoFlashlight Sales. The new equipment for the Upstairs Hall consists of AZOR S2 spot moving heads (as the main light above the stage), AZOR SP2 spot profile moving heads (as side and front lighting in the hall) and Q-Spot 40 RGBW LED spots grouped in two sets of four.

The Cameo models were already impressive in a direct comparison when it came to selecting the right spotlights. “Both the AZOR S2 and the AZOR SP2 came out on top in terms of beam look, colour mixing and gobo set,” explains Paradiso Technical Systems Supervisor Alex Boonstra. “The fact that they both come from the same series was another decisive advantage for the consistency of the design.”

Compactness meets character

The Upstairs Hall may be small, but it has demanding technical requirements. Classic truss systems are lacking, and the listed building leaves little room for conventional rigging. Instead, Paradiso relies on customised brackets, outrigs and wall mounts, which means that every single light counts, and weight and size are crucial. Cameo scored highly in several areas here. The compact AZOR SP2 profiles with framing shutters enable precise front lighting and creative gobo projections without the disadvantages of classic barn doors. At the same time, all fixtures can be integrated unobtrusively and securely into the architecture.

“The AZORs provide us with the power, colour control and flexibility we need – in a housing that is light enough for our individual rigging solutions.”
Alex Boonstra, Technical Systems Supervisor, Paradiso

One highlight of the new Paradiso lighting set-up is the redesign of the classic ACL racks. Instead of conventional PAR 36 light sources, two clusters of four Q-SPOT 40 RGBW RGBW LED lights are now used. “Finding a 1:1 LED alternative to ACL racks is a real challenge,” confirms Alex Boonstra. “The Q-SPOT 40 not only offers us individual dimming, but also precise RGBW colour control – with amazing brightness and a very attractive price-performance ratio.”

Sustainable and future-proof

With the new lighting system, Paradiso has not only taken a step into an LED future, but has also given itself a flexible, creative tool – perfect for concerts, club nights, presentations and more. The Cameo fixtures bring a breath of fresh air into a room steeped in history and help Paradiso to provide the right stage for artists at every point in their career.