Honestly I started out as a 'fan with camera' too (to share a fun experience w/ a particular band with other friends) ... until someone offered to buy my point-n-shoot (p&s) images from me. That got my attention, so I got better gear and started learning about what I was doing!!

Yeah, local neighborhood bars are definitely a challenge.... no room, bad lighting. Low light motion is one of the hardest things to shoot, and doing it in crappy bars even harder. If you can get decent images there, you can shoot anywhere, IMO.

Minimalist equipment... So that means you're using either a p&s camera, or a DSLR with just the kit lens? You gotta learn to make the most of what you have. If your p&s has settings to manually set aperture and shutter, use those. Get out of auto mode. If the only lens for your DSLR is the kit lens, buy the "nifty fifty" - this is a 50mm fixed focus, f/1.8 wide aperture lens that is affordable, at approx USD$80-90. The wide aperture on this lens will enable faster shutter speeds and allow you to turn off your flash.

Ah. Just peeked at your image properties. Guess you've got a p&s Sony S650, no manual controls. okay.....  Here's a few tips for you...

** Put the camera on macro mode. This allows the lens to focus a bit closer to the subject. It also automatically brings down the flash power a bit - i.e. since you are closer to the subject, the camera doesn't need to blast out the full power of the flash. 
** Set the flash mode to slow sync. Auto will likely blast too much, while slow sync will help balance the flash w/ the ambient light behind your subjects.
** Also keep in mind that the flash range on that camera is just over 9 ft. Not a lot of punch. So it's probably never going to light up say, the drummer, as well as you'd hope. Just setting an expectation here... no advice. ~~Actually, yeah. Advice: ask the band before they play if you could hop on stage during part of a song to get close to the drummer. If you're a regular, chances are they'll say okay. Besides, I'd rather have a drummer shot from the side, without all his kit in the way!!  Wear black (less obtrusive), go up from the side if you can, and be quick and courteous.
** Also with flash, keep in mind that the sensor will 'lock onto' the closest brightest object to figure out exposure and therefore the amount of flash. Therefore, try to avoid things like mic stands in your foreground.... In the 2nd image (which by your file name is a crop) the mic at the left edge is very bright and the guys not so lit. So I'm *guessing* that the cam optimized the flash for the mic, causing the light to drop off at a very short distance and not enough to illuminate the actual band. The intermittent flailing arm in front of you will cause the same thing. ;)
** Set the metering mode to spot (as opposed to multi segment). This will cause the camera to check for exposure only in the center marked section (i.e. optimized for your subject), instead of averaging the exposure across the scene.
** Set ISO to an actual value instead of Auto. (I'm guessing you used Auto, because the image properies say ISO 320, but your camera specs say 200 and 400 can be set, but not 320.) On that cam, ISO 320 is already showing digital noise. Bummer. I use at least 800 on my DSLR w/ no flash. For your cam, I'd say use 200 (you're using flash so, you'll have enough light), and bump to 400 only if you have to, then in your editing software use one of the noise removal functions (or use standalone software for noise cleanup).
** Disable digital zoom. You don't need more than 3x when you're practically nose to nose with the musicians. Plus it doesn't do image quality any favors.
** Work on composition. Watch your angles to avoid the usual "bar clutter" often in the back of a stage (dart boards, lit-up video games, tv screens, beer mirrors, etc.) (especially look out for mirrors when using flash!)  Try for shots of each individual guy rather than group shots. Change up your point of view~ crouch down in front of the stage for part of a song so all your shots aren't at standing-eye level, and stand on a chair to shoot down for part of a song. Use your zoom. Tilt the camera to add more dynamics to certain shots.

And most importantly -- Have fun!!! It will show in your images. Post more when you've got more that you'd like to share.

Kathy, he's using a Sony DSC-S650 P&S. 

Honestly, you are not going to get anything close to Professional quality photos using a Point and Shoot camera at a concert.  No matter what adjustments you make, the sensor and lens are just not up to the challenge.  It's nice to be able to take a few memories away from the show though.

I don't think he was looking to make money from these or to shoot professionally. This is the Photo Sharing forum, after all.

So far, I've just been reading (and soaking up knowledge), not posting here, but I had to add to this thread.  I, too, started out as a fan with a camera.  Haven't gotten too far beyond that yet, but I'm working on it.  When I first decided to take it to the next level, a little P&S was all I had, so I learned how to use it to it's fullest.  Most of what Kathy mentions are the same things I learned as I went.  That little camera taught me a lot, and while it's true that the pictures will never be as good as my SLR, it is still possible to get some amazing shots with it, and I have gotten some attention for pictures I took with it.  So, Koontz, get to know your camera, keep practicing, and have fun!!!

This is probably the best shot I've take with my little Cybershot, and Ratt's publicist loved it.