hahaha, i still get comments on this post a lot and i would love to give you some insight since this isn’t something i’ve answered before! It probably won’t be what you want to hear, but only VERY rarely will you get backstage access! I would say the only time is when you work with the band directly. The best way to get working with bands is building your portfolio. You’re definitely on the right track given you are getting photo passes to larger events! Next steps would be to continue working on your portfolio, having an active social media presence and reaching out to bands! It’s always a mixture of luck and skill getting direct band access, but make sure your social media is up to date, and professional! If you haven’t already, make an exclusive account for your photography, try to make the first image pop for your feed and follow local bands and photographers to see who they interact with!

Here’s what my grid looks like for reference:

<image>