On tour’s home turf, Beyoncé at peak of power

Beyoncé has spent much of her life as a superstar, a pop goddess and a down-home diva. Those were all on glorious display Saturday night during her sold-out show at NRG Stadium.

But something has happened to Beyoncé in 2016. Success has emboldened her, made her defiant and braver and bolder. The Formation World Tour is more than a concert. It’s a portrait of an artist at the peak of her considerable powers, making big statements on blackness and womanhood and adult relationships.

“If you didn’t know, Houston, Texas, is where I’m from,” she quipped to the crowd.

“I represent Houston, Texas.”

She emerged amid smoke, under a widebrimmed hat, to the unmistakable strains of “Formation.” The crowd erupted in cheers that seemed to shake the stadium and never subsided.

She smirked as she uttered one of the song’s key lines — “You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation.”

It had added relevance given recent events. Local TV stations breathlessly reported about protests planned outside the stadium by police officers and critics who call Bey’s recent work “anti-police.” Members of the Nation of Islam and fans quickly assembled counterprotests.

Houston Police Officers’ Union President Ray Hunt, who represents more than 5,000 local police officers, said that spaces for security work at the show “quickly filled up” and he has no issue with Beyoncé’s artistic expression. She called the “Formation” video and Super Bowl performance anti-police brutality.

Inside the stadium, it all seemed faraway and irrelevant. Merch booths sold “Boycott Beyonce” Tshirts that proved popular with fans.

A bit of pop classic “I’m Sorry” preceded Beyoncé’s own “Sorry,” which gave way to the defiant “Bow Down” and “Run the World (Girls).” She strutted across the stage with a black panther emblazoned across her chest.

“I’m home,” she said during a brief pause. “Thank you guys for being y’all and making me who I am. No place like Houston.”