The Rolling Stones were originally scheduled to play Hong Kong and mainland China earlier this year, but those plans were scraped following the SARS outbreak. The Harbor Fest was organized to help Hong Kong recover from the SARS scare but it�s likely that the Stones will not appear. 

The festival�s promoter told the Associated Press that the deal went south because the band had not responded in time to the latest offer. It would have been a big payday for the group at a reported $5 million. 

James Thompson, the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, spoke with RTHK radio and said that part of the problem was egos and another problem was the band�s inability to book additional concerts in Beijing and Shanghai. 

Organizers still feel that the event will be a success--Stones or no Stones and government officials hope that the band can eventually play Hong Kong sometime in the future. 

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