---
title: "How many gigs in do you stop changing your opening line | Tough Crowd"
url: https://toughcrowd.co/banter/question/getting-started/how-many-gigs-in-do-you-stop-changing-your-opening-line-just
description: "I keep seeing newer comics treat the first line like it has to solve the whole room: introduce you, prove you're funny, explain the premise and calm your nerves"
lang: en
---

# How many gigs in do you stop changing your opening line just because you're nervous?

T

TomNoCrowdwork (https://toughcrowd.co/banter/Stand-Up-Comedians/TomNoCrowdwork) 30 Aug

I keep seeing newer comics treat the first line like it has to solve the whole room: introduce you, prove you're funny, explain the premise and calm your nerves before anyone has even settled. Is it better to keep one simple opener for a while so you can actually learn how to deliver it, or keep testing different openings until one feels natural? I'm suspicious that constant rewriting can sometimes be nerves wearing a little writer's hat.

## 0 Comments

No comments yet.

Become a member to comment in Banter

Tough Crowd is a members-only community. Your first 24 hours are free — cancel anytime.

Become a member (https://toughcrowd.co/register)

## Structured data

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebApplication",
  "name": "Tough Crowd",
  "applicationCategory": "MultimediaApplications",
  "operatingSystem": "Web",
  "inLanguage": "en-GB",
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "Country",
    "name": "United Kingdom"
  },
  "description": "The all-in-one workspace for working comedians — capture ideas, build sets, rehearse with evidence-based memory modes, track gigs and grow your audience.",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "149",
    "priceCurrency": "GBP",
    "description": "Annual plan with a free 24-hour day pass."
  }
}
```