Alternate idea - if you want a good copy of a small music gig, Tascam makes a terrific portable digital recorder.
I set mine on a table hit record and set levels, then forget it. Tascam DR-40X Portable Digital Recorder
It’s simple to learn to use, compared to a taper’s setup, and amazing quality. Use it for taping local friend’s bands and it’s easy to copy to PC then upload to Archive or other music-sharing sites.
Also handy for band rehearsals, or jams with friends at parties, etc.
I second your suggestion.
If you need the mics and mixers and stuff you are going to get into some heavy costs. I nice digital hand held recorder is the way to go.
Actually there are some phone apps that imitate really expensive mics.
$20 for a fake $2000 mic.
But Tascam has some really good hand held mics. And with a good audio processing software program you can do amazing things.