A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band. More informal names for a concert include "show" and "gig". Concerts are held in a wide variety of settings or venues, including pubs, nightclubs, houses, barns, dedicated concert halls, large multipurpose buildings, and even sports stadiums. A concert held in a very large venue is sometimes called an arena concert.

There is normally a charge to attend a concert. A concert tour is a series of concerts by a musician, musical group, or some number of either in different cities or locations. While the principal reason for a concert is the opportunity for the musicians to perform in front of an audience, even the most purely artistic of endeavors will see gains. Concerts provide the musician's exposure to the public. An attendee will probably see the musicians perform again if the concert was worthwhile. Recording artists usually go on tours to promote record sales and introduce their fans to new musical compositions. Some musicians and musical groups are known for consistently touring and performing live, others rarely so.

Musical groups with large expected audiences can put on very elaborate and expensive affairs. In order to create a memorable and exciting atmosphere and increase the spectacle, the musicians will frequently include additional entertainment devices within their concerts. These tend to include changeable stage lighting effects and various special effect visuals, which include anything from large video screens, inflatable, smoke or dry ice, pyrotechnics, artwork, pre-recorded video, and unusual attire. Some singers, especially in genres of popular music, augment the sound of their concerts with pre-recorded accompaniment and even broadcast vocal tracks of the singer's own voice. After the songs end, the drums and cymbals bang and crash, or do a drum roll, and the electric guitar rolls, or yells. (There are even long ones with fireworks and the singers going crazy on stage). Activities which may take place during large-scale concerts including dancing, sing-along, moshing or head-banging, and crowd-surfing.

Larger concerts involving a greater number of musical groups, especially those that last for multiple days, are known as festivals. Examples include the Alan Jackson, Aerosmith, Shakira, Shaggy, Andre reiu and so on.

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