warm-up act
Before the headliner
A warm-up act is a performer or group that appears before the main attraction, preparing the audience for the headliner.
The term comes from entertainment—comedy clubs, concerts, television tapings—where opening acts literally warm up the crowd, getting them energized and responsive: She spent years as a warm-up act before headlining her own tour.
The phrase can be used dismissively to suggest someone is secondary or lesser: I'm nobody's warm-up act.
- openerWhat begins something
- supportTo uphold or sustain
- preliminaryBefore the main part
- comedianProfessional humor performer
- comedy clubLive humor venue
crowd · stage · microphone · live show · applause · audience · hype · intro · set · set list · venue · stand-up comedy · comedy · touring · on the road · roadie · spotlight · nervous
- variety showsSaturday Night Live, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, Laugh-In, The Muppet Show
- open micamateur night, comedy night, emcee, first-timer, five minutes
- show openersoverture, curtain raiser, preshow, opening number, opener
- Concert Termsheadliner, encore, setlist, top billing, opener
- ACT typesscene, monologue, dialogue, soliloquy, curtain call
- cabaretcabaret, cancan, showgirls, burlesque, Moulin Rouge
warm-up actheadliner
Top-billed performer
main act · star attraction · headline act · top billing · main event
warm, act, warms, warmed, warming, warmer, warmest, warmth, warmly