Aconcert (as in a "concert tour") is a performance in which amusician or many musicians playmusic together to a group of listeners (called anaudience). In the case of a concert of classical music there may be anorchestra. There is often an importantvisual element to the performance, such as with a rock concert. However, if acting out a story is an important part of the performance, then this is called "musical theater" or "opera" but some concerts have dramatic, theatrical music, with lights andspecial effects. Informal names for a concert include "show" or sometimes, "gig" for musicians who play in lots of different concerts, with different groups. Aconcert tour is a set of concerts where the performers travel to different cities or towns.
The performers at a concert are usually raised above the level of the audience on a stage. Concerts may be held inconcert halls which are built for the purpose, or they may be held in any other suitable large building such as a school hall, anightclub, abarn or a largehouse orcastle. Some concerts are given to very large audiences in the open air. They may take place in afield or in astadium. The music for these “open-airs” is usuallyamplified byloudspeakers so that large audiences can hear it.
A concert given by just one performer (or perhaps two) is usually called arecital.
Before the days ofrecording, a concert would have been the only opportunity most people would have of hearing concerts given by groups.
Usually, people who go to a concert have to pay an admission charge. The money that is made from the ticket sales will usually go to paying the performing artistes, producers, and organisers. However, there are alsobenefit concerts where either the proceeds (all the ticket money) or profits (the money earned) will go tocharity. Tickets for concerts can often be bought at the box-office of the concert hall or bought online. Sometimes concerts are free.
The nature of a concert will vary bymusical genre and the individual performers. Concerts by a smalljazz combo or smallbluegrass band may have the same order of program, mood, and volume, but vary in music and dress. In a similar way, a particular musician, band, or genre of music might attract concert attendees with similar dress, hairstyle, and behavior. For example, the hippies of the 60s often toted long hair (sometimes in dread lock form), sandals and inexpensive clothing made of natural fibers. The regular attendees to a concert venue might also have a recognizable style, comprising that venue's "scene".
"Concert" by Bernardo Strozzi, 1630/31, Kadrioru kunstimuuseum.
Some performers or groups put on very elaborate and expensive affairs, with parts of the show being similar to atheater performance. In order to create a memorable and exciting atmosphere and increase the spectacle, artists will have additional entertainment devices within their concerts. These tend to include: elaboratestage lighting; an image-magnification (IMAG) system and/or pre-recordedvideo; inflatables, artwork or other set pieces; variousspecial effects, such as theatricalsmoke andfog andpyrotechnics; and unusualcostumes or wardrobe. Somesingers, especially in genres of popular music, augment the sound of their concerts with pre-recorded accompaniment, back-up dancers, and even broadcast vocal tracks of the singer's own voice. Activities which may take place during these concerts includedancing, sing-alongs, andmoshing. Some performers well known for including these elements in their performances include:Pink Floyd,Jean Michel Jarre,Sarah Brightman andKISS.
Members of theGrateful Dead performed at Red Rocks Amphitheater inColorado on August 11, 1987.
A concert tour is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities or locations. Often, concert tours are named, to differentiate different tours by the same artist and associate a specific tour with a particularalbum or product (for example:Michael Jackson'sBad Tour). Especially in the popular music world, such tours can become large-scale enterprises that last for several months or even years. They are seen by thousands or millions of people and bring in millions of dollars (or the equivalent) in ticket revenues.
Different segments of longer concert tours are known as "legs". The different legs of a tour are denoted in different ways, dependent on the artist and type of tour, but the most common means of separating legs are dates (especially if there is a long break at some point), countries and/or continents, or different opening acts. In the largest concert tours, it is becoming more common for different legs to employ separate touring production crews and equipment, local to each geographical region. Concert tours are oftenmanaged on the local level by concert promoters or by performing arts presenters.
While admission to some concerts is free, charging fortickets is very common. Historically, concerts were the main source of revenue for musicians. Revenue from ticket sales typically goes to the performing artists, producers, venue and organizers. In the case ofbenefit concerts, a portion of profits will often go towards acharitable organization.
Additional revenue is also often raised through in-concertadvertising, from free local concerts for localsponsorships to sponsorships from corporations during major tours, such as 2009's "Vans' Warped Tour Presented by AT&T". BothVans andAT&T would have paid significant amounts to have their company names included at the forefront in all marketing material for the Warped Tour.
Concessions and merchandise are also often sold during and after concerts, often by the venue in the case of the former, and by the performing band or artist in the case of the latter.
The highest-grossing concert tour of all time isThe Rolling Stones'A Bigger Bang Tour which earned approximately $558 million in between 2005 and 2007.[2] The highest earning tour by a solo artist is theSticky & Sweet Tour by pop artistMadonna, which earned $408 million in 2008 and 2009.[3]
