LOS ANGELES -- Amnesty International's 'Conspiracy of Hope' concert tour, which began with a sold-out show in San Francisco that brought in nearly $500,000, will include 'a surprise act' in Los Angeles, organizers said Thursday.
A concert official later said Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, scheduled to begin a nationwide summer tour in San Diego next week, were 'expected' to preview their act in a performance at Friday's concert at the Inglewood Forum.
Concert producer Bill Graham, speaking at an airport news conference when the tour arrived in Los Angeles Thursday, refused to confirm reports that Dylan and Petty would appear, saying only, 'There will be a surprise act.'
The first of the concerts to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the London-based Amnesty International, which works to gain the release of political prisoners and to end human rights abuses, drew more than 13,000 people to the Cow Palace in San Francisco Wednesday.
The lineup for the series of rock concerts includes Sting, the Irish band U2, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Joan Baez and the Neville Brothers. Jackson Browne also is appearing in the California shows.
Sherry Wasserman of Bill Graham and Associates said the San Francisco concert brought in gross receipts of $468,300. Net profits from the tour will be tallied after the last concert, which will include several other acts and be broadcast and telecast nationwide, at Giants Stadium outside New York City.
Reduced hall rates and the free services of performers and subsidiary organizations should boost the profits, Wasserman said.
Other tour performances are scheduled for Denver on Sunday, Atlanta June 11 and Chicago June 13. All of the shows except Denver have already sold out, Graham said.
Jack Healey, executive director of Amnesty International in the United States, said the group hopes to not only make about $3 million but also raise Americans' awareness of torture and political oppression abroad.
'Through this tour we call upon all free people to work for unfree people,' Healey said.
Amnesty International hopes to enlist some 25,000 new members through the concert tour. The approximately 500,000 members of the group work to free prisoners and end human rights abuses through research into specific cases, letter writing and fund raising.
