The cancellation of two high-profile New Year’s concerts this week after slow ticket sales has led some experts to say promoters are overcharging for end-of-millennium events. Celebration 2000 — a New York party featuring Sting, Aretha Franklin and Chuck Berry — and a concert by singer Jewel in her home state of Alaska have fallen by the wayside. And tickets are still available for some of the biggest New Year’s Eve concerts, including Billy Joel in New York; the Eagles in Los Angeles; Kiss in Vancouver, British Columbia; and Barbra Streisand in Las Vegas. "People might have overestimated the public’s willingness to pay exceptionally high ticket prices for the privilege of going out on New Year’s Eve," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the concert-industry magazine Pollstar.Only a small portion of the available tickets was sold for the concert by Jewel. The singer said she canceled because of possible Y2K-bug problems and other concerns, but Alaskans complained that ticket prices — apparently ranging from $65 to $99 — were high by local standards, according to the Associated Press. Tom Uhm, a spokesperson for Celebration 2000, said ticket sales for that event had been disappointing, and he blamed prices that began at $1,000 a ticket. Organizers are planning a scaled-back version of the event, which also had been scheduled to feature Latin-pop singer Enrique Iglesias and rock pioneer Chuck Berry, Uhm said. Ticket prices for the new version will be significantly lower, he said. While cancellation may not loom for other major New Year’s Eve concerts, most are not turning out to be the instant sell-outs promoters may have expected. About 7,000 tickets are still available for a show with Metallica, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., according to a spokesperson for its promoter. Several $999 floor seats were available at press time for Billy Joel’s New Year’s Eve show at Madison Square Garden, as were seats in other sections. Spokespersons for the venue did not return a call for comment. Several promoters said they expect sales for New Year’s Eve shows to pick up as the holiday approaches.