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Since the type of performance is never specified, you could just have the bard singing a drinking song or slamming the table going "chug! chug! chug! chug!!!"
You could tell your players that the competition appears to be more spurred as a result of the cheering but the party might not think much of it especially if other patron or onlookers join in.
Planning on running a "mini-game" during my campaign where a PC is pit against a NPC of a rival adventuring party in a drinking contest. Essentially, they make repeated Con checks until one fails and passes out. The rival party has a bard. To heighten the sense of competition, I was going to have the bard use Inspire Competence to help her party member win. As she would be "performing" all night, she'd just kick in her bardic performance when needed.
The question is: Would it be detectable? Would someone know she was "pushing" her party member to do better? If so, how?
I would think it would be relatively low perception check to notice the bard using bardic performace.
It will then be a spellcraft check to determine that such performance is magical.
Similar to that scene in harry potter where they thought Serverus Snape was jynxing Harry's broomstick during a quidditch match.
Snape was unblinking, concentrating, and mumbling words.
This same philosophy would apply to fighting an enemy, and then all of a sudden you seem him reach into his pocket, and draw out a wierd vial, while and mixing reagents.
Anybody with any sort of spellcraft would be able to identify he is an alchemist doing something. Anybody else might think its just an alchemical item he is about to throw.
Spellcraft, or knowledge arcana to determine a bardic performance being performed is apporpriate for your PC's.
Now if you want the NPC to win or have a better chance of winning... then there are other ways around that...
A simple cloak of resistance, a magic ring, bear endurance?
It will then be a spellcraft check to determine that such performance is magical.
I fully agree with Fernn's approach, but I am not sure I would use Spellcraft. The PRD describes Spellcraft as
Check: Spellcraft is used whenever your knowledge and skill of the technical art of casting a spell or crafting a magic item comes into question. This skill is also used to identify the properties of magic items in your possession through the use of spells such as detect magic and identify. The DC of this check varies depending upon the task at hand.
This does not seem to me to be part of the technical art, and it is certainly not crating a magic item. To me, I think the more appropriate skill is Knowledge (Arcana), described by the PRD to include checks for identifying magic auras, spell effects that are in place, and materials manufactured by magic. This seems more like that -- not a specific spell, but a magical affect you could understand or at least identify.
Having said, my reasoning here is influenced by my sense of aesthetics for the proper focus of Spellcraft as compared to Knowledge skills. I certainly would understand someone disagreeing.
I would also let a bard have a much easier time recognizing the use of Bardic Music, and might let them use a Perform check to analyze the intent of the impact of the music.
The Bardic Performance in question is a super natural ability. In the same way that people know when a Paladin detects evil, or when a Witch uses a hex, they will also know that the Bard is using a Bardic Performance. How much they care that the Bard is using a Bardic performance depends on the people. Also they will not know which Bardic performance is being done.
Also Inspire Competence wont help fort saves.
Just use "Spellsong" and make the bard use spells to boost her ally.
If your PCs cant win her performance check , then they wont notice she is casting , those who can will.
Spellsonging out good hope would certainly tilt the odds