U2 Events: U2 On the Conspiracy of Hope Tour for Amnesty International

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

News

June 04, 2006 - @U2 - It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Remembering the Conspiracy of Hope Tour
August 01, 1986 - Propaganda, Issue 3 - Hope on the Road: Amnesty Tour Diary
August 01, 1986 - Propaganda, Issue 3 - Hope on the Road: Edge and Adam Interview
June 22, 1986 - The Los Angeles Times - Amnesty Tour: Keeping the Doors Open
June 16, 1986 - The Washington Post - Pop, Politics and a Day in the Sun Raising Voices for Amnesty International
June 16, 1986 - The Record - A Soul-Stirring Call For Amnesty
June 16, 1986 - The New York Times - Amnesty Concert in Jersey
June 15, 1986 - The Chicago Tribune - If Music was the Message, Amnesty Got its Across Loud and Clear
June 09, 1986 - The San Diego Tribune - Amnesty Concert Educational, Too
October 24, 1985 - Rolling Stone - U2 to Help Amnesty International Celebrate Birthday