No one goes to a show to see the warm-up act.
Of course, you have to have one. Appetites must be wetted, after all.
Indeed, sometimes a warm-up act becomes a breakthrough act – going on to equal and even surpass the performer they were once supporting.
Alas, that was not to be the case at First Minister’s Questions.
Nicola Sturgeon, naturally, seemed to have one eye on the later headline clash, her debate with Boris Johnson.
Dressed in Tory-blue, the First Minister was her usual, combative self.
If she was hoping to be tested – to have her mind sharpened – she would have been disappointed.
The bulk of the debate – as is so often the case – centred on facts: namely, what are they?
Ms Sturgeon, as usual, had her own set, while the opposition had others.
It is a curiosity of politics that facts are often disputed and even contradictory.
Debates about the NHS and education often descend into parody – the equivalent of spending 45 minutes arguing about whether the world is a circle, or just round.
Not the best preparation, it has to be said, to face the bombastic, blonde Boris.
Ruth Davidson’s performance, too, needs an improvement if she is to live-up to the hype.
While she was equally combative, she has yet to really get under the First Minister’s skin.
Dressed in a sparkling red jacket, there is little doubt that the Tory leader has settled well into her new role. But her penchant for facts over rhetoric plays into Ms Sturgeon’s hands.
Getting Ms Sturgeon riled up is one of the few ways you can get her to make a mistake.
Kezia Dugdale, meanwhile, appears to be getting some of her mojo back after the crushing election.
The Labour leader was on solid ground challenging the First Minister on higher education, but she is still held back by pre-prepared questions.
No, in this case the warm-up act failed to trump the headliner. There was no breakthrough performance – that’ll have to wait for another day.
