^^^
That, and moreover, aperture priority is, ironically enough Av. Tv is shutter.
But seriously, epicwelshman... why would you have something mean to say, or even want to say it? We all started somewhere. andy5000 is obviously a novice photographer, and is asking an earnest question hoping to get some direction, and possibly learn something. A mean reply would a). discourage novices from posing even simple questions b). make you look like an a$$hole c). impede the learning progress of us all. You alone would be responsible for the downfall of civilization... (or maybe I went too far, but you get the gist).
Andy- OK, it's good that you can get as close as you want to the stage. In your case, I would stick with the kit lens, as that would be the ideal focal range for your needs. Stick the camera dial to Av (aperture priority). What that allows you to do is change the depth of field, as well as how much light is passing through the back of the lens. Essentially the lowest number (3.5 at 18mm and 5.6 at 55mm) allow the most light in, allow for faster shutter speed (so you don't get camera shake), and will produce an image that will have a small depth of field. What that means is that you will have only one person in focus, or only their face, or a guitar in focus. Everything else will be a soft blur. This is great for isolating parts of the image you want. As you increase the number (decrease the aperture), you will start getting images where the rest of the background (i.e. other band members, stage) is in focus. What this will lead to, however, is a slower shutter speed, which may cause shake (I have decent hands, and I can hand-hold to about 1/50 or faster). Lets say you want one of those shots (at say f/11), but your camera tells you that you'll be shooting for 1/20 of a second. What you'll want to do there is go to your menu and increase the ISO until you get decent speeds. You'll want to shoot at the lowest possible ISO, as higher ISO leads to image noise, but with the camera you have it's really not that big a deal. Hope this helps.
