Promoters of Airport Rock Fest Pull Plug

    An Aug. 13 and 14 rock festival planned for the East Hampton Airport that had alarmed some residents and sparked legal action will not be held after all.

     Citing poor ticket sales, Music to Know posted an announcement on its Web site Saturday. The first-time concert promoters, Chris Jones and Bill Collage, directed ticket-holders to check back next week to learn about refunds.

     The concert would have featured Vampire Weekend on the first night and Bright Eyes the second. Fashion boutiques and food kiosks were promised, as were shuttle buses to remote parking fields.

    The decision was not altogether unexpected. Summer traffic can make a drive to East Hampton from New York City drag on for up to four hours, and the area with its high-priced vacation houses is not deep in the demographic the promoters hoped would emerge.

     From its hasty approval in December for an initial site in Amagansett the festival was met with strong opposition from some would-be neighbors. After questions were raised about the way the East Hampton Town Board handled a permit for its first location, the promoters scrambled and found space at the end of an unused runway at the East Hampton Airport. It was briefly touch-and-go as the town and organizers waited for approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

     In their online statement Saturday, the promoters said they were deeply disappointed.