under a tent? Which lenses?

OK, my husband's band is doing a gig next month and it's under a tent (like a wedding tent.) I have no clue about which lenses will work as I've never even been to a wedding under a tent and have no clue on the lighting. It'll be evening 5-8pm, so the sun will still be out, but low, I don't think the tent will have sides unless it's raining. Would a 2.8 lens be fast enough? I worry about back lighting, but may buy a flash (shudder) to use if needed (I'm a natural light photographer and never use flashes.) But will only use the flash for this event (maybe renting would be better?)

I have no clue about how to shoot this! Any help will be great!

If it's a white tent, you're in luck. Bounce flash is AWESOME under those things. Seriously...it's like having a big white reflector to bounce the light off of.

By the way...5-8PM is pretty much still daylight so an f/2.8 lens and a moderate ISO will be sufficient even under the tent.

*I'm assuming the band won't have colored strobes and such that they will want you you to preserve that effect. If they are, they're not too intelligent for holding the gig in daylight.*

Yeah I may have to use a flash then. I'm assuming the tent will be white. I'll find out soon. No strobes, no lights under the tent as far as I know. It's a gig for a friends party, so they have no choice in the times. I'm hoping to get some fun twilight shots. Which I'll be using 1.4-2.0 for I think.

What about white balance? Will the tent cast weird lighting?

Sorry to sound so stupid about this, but I've never shot anything like this.

If the tent is white you will have no worries. Set your camera to "AWB", "5500K", or "Daylight" and you'll be good to go. Trust me.

Thanks! And where were you last weekend? I thought we had a beer and peanut butter date?

Oh damn I forgot. I musta fell asleep.