performance vs spectacle

performance

noun
  • A live show or concert. 

  • That which is performed or accomplished; a thing done or carried through; an achievement; a deed; an act; a feat; especially, an action of an elaborate or public character. 

  • The amount of useful work accomplished estimated in terms of time needed, resources used, etc. 

  • The actual use of language in concrete situations by native speakers of a language, as opposed to the system of linguistic knowledge they possess (competence), cf. linguistic performance. 

  • The act of performing; carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action. 

spectacle

noun
  • An exciting or extraordinary scene, exhibition, performance etc. 

  • An embarrassing or unedifying scene or situation. 

  • A frame with different coloured lenses on a semaphore signal through which light from a lamp shines at night, often a part of the signal arm. 

  • The brille of a snake. 

  • An optical instrument consisting of two lenses set in a light frame, worn to assist sight, or to protect the eyes from bright light. 

How often have the words performance and spectacle occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )