FIRST OFF . . .

Amnesty International’s 1988 follow-up to 1986’s “Conspiracy of Hope” rock ‘n’ roll tour--a long-anticipated event in the pop world--was given the definite go-ahead on Sunday. Featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, longtime Amnesty International supporter Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and two other former Amnesty rockers--Sting and Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour--the six-week “Human Rights Now” tour will visit five continents, beginning in London on Sept. 2. The confirmed Los Angeles date is Sept. 21; the site is as yet undetermined. Also on the agenda: 20 other cities in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and South America. The principal performers will be joined at each stop by local artists. The tour, which will not include South Africa, is budgeted at an estimated $23 million; some of these costs will be defrayed by ticket sales and special contributions, with most of the rest coming from Reebok International, the shoe firm. Said Gabriel, who performed in the former “Conspiracy of Hope” tour: “This tour is about spreading information, which in itself is a sort of power.”