Amnesty Concert Turns Def Ear Toward Leppard

Amnesty International’s star-studded “Human Rights Now!” world tour has got to be the first concert starring Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Tracy Chapman that can’t even sell-out one show at the Los Angeles Coliseum!

As of Wednesday, promoters counted “between 5,000 and 10,000” unsold seats among the 65,000 available for the Sept. 21 show (and that’s including a huge buy--more than 10,000 tickets, sources say--made by Reebok).

Why have sales lagged? Theories range from steep prices ($35) to artist overexposure (Springsteen played five shows here in April while Sting has played eight Southland dates since March). But the most popular explanation is that the key headliners all draw from essentially the same older, yuppie-pop audience.

If Amnesty had recruited a hard-rock band, couldn’t it have broadened the bill’s appeal--and easily sold out the show?

Rock manager Peter Mensch thinks so, especially since it was his band--Def Leppard--which was asked to play the Amnesty tour last spring, then mysteriously dropped from the roster after Springsteen was added.

Since Def Leppard’s album has been at the top of the charts for four of the last six weeks, Mensch seems to have a good case. Though an Amnesty member himself, Mensch blasted the organization for “playing politics with its bands,” said Amnesty president Jack Healey has “the spine of an eel” and charged that because Def Leppard is a hard-rock band “we were jerked around and treated like second-class--no make that third-class citizens--and handled as if we belonged in the back of the bus.”

Mensch added: “Amnesty is supposed to be an exemplary organization whose credibility depends upon its ability to provide totally accurate information about beatings in Burundi or other human-rights abuses. So I find it hard to believe they could be so inept and careless in dealing with rock groups, especially groups donating their time and energy for free.”

According to Mensch, Def Leppard was first approached in February by Healey and Amnesty consultant Lee Blumer, who asked the band to join the upcoming tour. “We accepted 24 hours later,” Mensch said. “We felt it was a prestigious opportunity for the band, who were flattered that Amnesty had sought their involvement--they’d never been asked before.”

Later, Def Leppard was publicly announced as one of the bands scheduled to play the tour. “We rearranged our own schedule and held off committing to dates for months,” said Mensch. “Lee Blumer and (tour director) Bill Graham both repeatedly told us not to worry. But whenever I’d ask for specifics, I never got any answers.

“By late June, Graham started giving signs that they might have too many acts on the bill. And once they brought in Bruce Springsteen on the bill, I think it was obvious we weren’t going to play. But the first we heard that we were dropped was when I read about it in the New York papers. Then--two days later--we got a form letter explaining the decision.”

Furious, Mensch fired off a letter to Amnesty, which concluded: “This whole thing has been a disaster from the (word) go and we really resent what you did. Next time, don’t bother.”

Did Mensch believe Springsteen--or his organization--had a role in Def Leppard being dropped? “I don’t think they ordered us off the bill or anything. But I do think once Bruce came on board, no one fought to keep any of the other acts.”

Graham was in Europe and could not be reached for comment. However, Pop Eye reached Amnesty consultant Lee Blumer, who confirmed most of Mensch’s account. “It is kind of embarrassing,” she said from New York. “Many things were not handled well--we were very klutzy. But our intention was not to hurt or offend anyone. You have to understand that putting together a tour like this--and taking it outside the Western world--can be a logistical nightmare.

“Originally we conceived of this as a Live Aid event, with dozens of different bands. But when Bill Graham came in, he woke us up to the harsh realities of a worldwide tour.”

Blumer acknowledged that Springsteen’s role as headliner changed the concept of the tour, but insisted that Springsteen’s camp did not boot anyone off the bill. “You could say his presence had an influence on the make-up of the bill--it created a new chemistry. But did Bruce say, ‘I don’t want Def Leppard?’ The answer is no.”

It’s still possible the Amnesty show here could eventually sell out. But as Amnesty execs have often said, the point of the tour is not fund-raising, but consciousness-raising.

Asked how Def Leppard’s consciousness has fared, Mensch replied: “Since the Amnesty debacle, we’ve been asked to perform both at a Bishop Tutu benefit and at a Sport Aid show. And I just told everyone, ‘Sorry, but we’re aided out.’ ”