U2 and the Conspiracy of Hope Tour
June 1986

Six concerts in 12 days, crossing the U.S. from San Francisco to New York. The Conspiracy of Hope tour was a celebration of Amnesty International's 25th anniversary, but it was so much more: It was Amnesty's biggest and boldest attempt to enter the American consciousness.

It worked.

The tour nearly tripled Amnesty USA's membership in a matter of weeks, and it raised $3 million for the organization's coffers -- an amount equal to their entire yearly budget.

For U2, the tour was more than a chance to support an organization important to the band; it was also their chance to cement the band's post-Live Aid status as a major stadium act, and set the stage for The Joshua Tree less than a year later.

Photos

From Jack Healey's collection

• Jack Healey, Peter Gabriel, and Joan Baez at Giants Stadium
• Coretta Scott King, Joan Baez, Jack Healey, and Bono in Atlanta
• Jack Healey with the performers at the Los Angeles news conference
• Jack Healey speaks at the kick-off news conference in San Francisco (the six prisoners adopted by the artists are on the poster behind him)
• Jack Healey and Joan Baez in Los Angeles
• Artists and former prisoners of conscience (all people in white t-shirts, except Jack sitting at front, are ex-prisoners)
• Bono and Jack Healey center stage as a concert comes to an end

Other photos (from the Conspiracy of Hope souvenir tour book)

• Jack Healey and the artists ready to fly from San Francisco to Los Angeles
• Bono, Joan Baez, and Peter Gabriel sing at an impromptu concert in the Atlanta hotel bar
• Bono and Sting singing together
• In concert: Bono
• In concert: Edge
• In concert: Larry
• In concert: Adam

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