After a thunderous opening before thousands of fans in London's Wembley Stadium, Amnesty International today takes its star-filled rock show on a global road that runs from Argentina to Zimbabwe. More than 65,000 people packed Wembley on Friday to hear artists ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Sting sing for human rights. The six-hour concert climaxed with Springsteen leading the cheering fans in ``Chimes of Freedom,'' a Bob Dylan classic highlighting the theme of the show sponsored by Amnesty International, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group. The show heads for a weekend concert in Paris and then to communist Hungary, the first stops in a six-week journey to 20 cities across five continents. Organizers expressed delight at the sellout in London, launch pad for the tour being held to mark the 40th anniversary of the U.N. Universal Declaration on Human Rights. ``I couldn't be more pleased,'' said Jack Healey, Amnesty's U.S. director and a prime organizer of the tour. ``We're selling out all around the world and we're feeling quite confident about ourselves ... We have great artists, a great audience here and, I think, the greatest cause in the world.'' The crowd at Wembley was made up mainly youngsters attracted by the big stars. They are the generation to whom Amnesty is making a special appeal to back the human rights declaration, which is widely endorsed but frequently ignored by governments. Springsteen shares a bill for the entire tour with British stars Sting and Peter Gabriel, American folk singer Tracy Chapman and Senegal's Youssou N'dour. From a podium surrounded by a turquoise and green global map emblazoned with ``Universal Declaration of Human Rights'' in red letters, the stars belted out well-known numbers. The crowd swayed and applauded wildly. Spectators in the grandstands rose as Gabriel rocked the podium with ``Sledgehammer'' and ``Don't Give Up,'' and then went wild as Springstreen came on with his hit ``Born in the USA.'' The organizers stress that the aim is not to raise funds, but to stir the consciences of the young people in the cause of human rights. Amnesty hopes the tour will break even. Thousands of fans signed slips of paper endorsing the human rights declaration. Amnesty officials plan to hand over the signatures at the U.N. headquarters in New York at the end of the tour. ``I'm a big fan of Sting, I guess I really came to hear him. But it's also a very good cause,'' Ricky McCabe, a 21-year-old chef, told The Associated Press after signing the declaration. Ticket prices vary between rich and poor countries _ $37.60 in London and $3 in Budapest. Amnesty has had a tricky time getting the show to some countries the organization has sharply criticized. It monitors human rights abuses, particularly the plight of political prisoners, around the world. Healey is still trying to get the Kremlin to agree to a show in Moscow. ``I am hopeful that negotiations don't break down on our side or on theirs,'' Healey said. ``We are very anxious to play in the other superpower.'' Among the more contentious negotiations was a date in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, whose government reacted angrily to Amnesty reports several years ago of brutal suppression of the minority Ndebele tribe. The date for Harare is Oct. 7 after what Healey called ``a careful negotiation.'' Other confirmed venues are Turin, Italy, on Sept. 8; Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 10; San Jose, Costa Rica, Sept. 13; Toronto and Montreal on Sept. 16-17; Philadelphia Sept. 19; Los Angeles Sept. 21; Tokyo Sept. 27; New Delhi Sept. 30; Sao Paulo, Brazil, Oct. 12; Mendoza, Argentina, Oct. 14; and Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, for a finale Oct. 15.
