Target exposure meter in Aperture Priority Mode (600D)

[thedecibelkid]

I take a lot of photos (and videos) of bands at gigs. Often the background is matte black and the performer is well-lit. So usually if I'm not in Full-Manual mode their faces are overexposed. I'd quite like to stay in Aperture mode and simply set the meter/bracket down a bit but pressing the +/- button says "this feature is not supported in this mode" or words to that effect. Am I missing something here?

[janjan]

Referring to photos, why cant you use the built in Canon exposure compensation feature and dial down as mush as you need?

[thedecibelkid]

Was having a fiddle last night and the +/- is letting me set the target meter now. Weird. I must have been doing something dumb last time, like pressing the wrong button with my thumb!