What difference does the choice of paved runway surface make to aircraft?
Concrete is better for certain large airports. Asphalt never completely hardens, and will always behave like an extremely viscous liquid. So when you heat it up (on a hot summer's day), it becomes less viscous. When you put a heavy weight on it (like an airliner), it will tend to flow away from and surround that airliner. Planes pull up to a gate, sit for an hour or so, and suddenly their wheels have sank into the ramp six inches and they can't move. Same with runways, the constant shock of landing aircraft cause the asphalt to buckle and warp eventually.

Concrete has issues in the cold, however, especially if it is not laid well. It can buckle and crumble when it expands and contracts. However, it only gets stronger as it ages and it can easily be made to withstand the hardest of landing impacts.

The type of material does not make any noticeable difference to takeoff/landing performance.