トップバッター

トップバッター – tappu battā. lit. top batter. opening act. Taken from the baseball term (Leadoff hitter in English) for the first player in the batting order. In concerts, this refers to the first one to perform in a series of acts at an event. This can be used regardless of whether they’re the first act of the day, or the first act of a post-intermission second half. This is considered an important role since they serve to warm up the crowd. This term is very flexible and is found anywhere. Essentially, if you’re the designated as the first one to do something, you’re the top batter.

It’s counterpart, the closing act of the day, is called tori (トリ). For multi-day events, the final act may be called ōtori (大トリ).