In July 1988 Amnesty International announced a world tour to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The tour opened on 2 September in London and closed on 15 October in Buenos Aires, visiting 17 European cities, with a single Spanish stop in Barcelona on 10 September. Music as a universal language to claim freedom for all.

It was the peak of Sting and Peter Gabriel’s careers. N’Dour was a true afropop star and Tracy Chapman one of the strongest singer-songwriters to appear in years. Bruce was the only one who played a rock concert.

Every night, at the start and close of the Amnesty shows, the singers — including local musicians in each city — sang Peter Tosh’s “Get Up, Stand Up” and the repeating choruses of “Chimes of Freedom”.

Bruce and Sting duetted on “Every Breath You Take” and “The River”. Sting would sometimes wander on during Bruce’s set; one night he even appeared with a vacuum cleaner. On the last night of the tour, Sting and Peter Gabriel came out in black jeans and a red bandana, imitating Bruce from the Born in the USA tour.