Rodeo Nights

A legendary party: Black Eyed Peas concert the best Rodeo show in a decade

The Black Eyed Peas rocked Reliant Stadium last night.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
The light show glowed from reds...
Photo by Shelby Hodge
to greens and blues.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Dancing robots on the jumbo screens
Photo by Shelby Hodge

I thought I had seen this year's RodeoHouston peak when Mary J. Blige created a soulful frenzy on Black Heritage Day at Reliant Stadium. I had no idea that the rodeo was capable of the type of party that took place when the Black Eyed Peas took over the spinning dish.

In a decade of rodeo performances, I have seen Duran Duran, Def Leppard, Alicia Keys, LL Cool J, Bob Dylan, Steve Miller and myriad other non-country performers show up at the rodeo and do their best to incorporate their show into the facilities the rodeo offered.

Not until last night, however, had I ever seen a group make an audience of 75,000-plus forget that they were at a rodeo completely and own that stage.

Perhaps for the first time since the RodeoHouston moved to Reliant Stadium, the performance following the bull and horse competition was a genuine concert. Once the Black Eyed Peas took the stage all that happened before it was forgotten.

Beginning with breakout past hit "Let's Get It Started," the Peas made it clear that just because they were on the rodeo's turf and subject to their production didn't mean they were about to surrender the quality choreographed for their current headlining tour.

Where many artists use the rodeo simply as an easy payday where all the heavy lifting is done for them and all that's required is to show up and sing, the Black Eyed Peas took the unfamiliar stage, lights and production as a challenge.

"How we can make these obstacles work to our benefit," was the vibe emanating from their stage for the entire 10-song, 70-minute set.

Their energy carried into the audience for the most enthusiastic crowd response I have seen in years.

The stage did change the sound of B.E.P.'s heavily produced sound, but they adapted.

Unlike the studio version, the bass beat of new single "Rock That Body," was shoved to the background making the vocals — warts and all — the focal point. Hearing it from this perspective made one appreciate the strength of Fergies's pipes and showcased apl.de.ap as an instrumental bridge between her and wil.i.am.

Fergie, dressed in a shiny body suit designed to morph her into a robotic vixen, shined on the playful "My Humps," (which underwent serious on-the-fly lyrical editing to conform to the rodeo's family aesthetic) and a bonus ballad from her past solo work, "Big Girls Don't Cry."

It was a hard act to follow, but wil.i.am united the crowd with a DJ set, mixing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Nirvana's "Smell Like Teen Spirit," and finally a boisterous sing-along to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."

For a moment the vacuous rodeo almost felt like a club.

The Peas ended with a one-two punch of No. 1 hits, "Boom, Boom, Pow," and "I Gotta Feeling," from new album, "The E.N.D.," sending the crowd home through a sea of limos parked outside Reliant Stadium. It was a scene unfamiliar to the usually reserved rodeo and more often seen following haughty nights of rock n' roll at the Toyota Center or the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

The Black Eyed Peas made this a memorable show because they took the disadvantages inherent in the rodeo set-up — difficult acoustics, long distances from the crowd and unfamiliar equipment — and made them positives.

For that reason, this will go down as one of the best rodeo performances ever.

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weekend event planner

Here are the top 14 things to do in Houston this Valentine's Day weekend

Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

See Hadestown at the Hobby Center this weekend.

Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, which means there will be a lot of love in the air. How about you and that special someone have a romantic evening – by celebrating the Year of the Horse!

It’s also Lunar New Year, and Asia Society Texas, Discovery Green, The Galleria, and Houston Platinum Outlets will have celebrations for the occasion this weekend. Alief ISD Center for Advanced Careers will also have a Texas Lunar Festival on Saturday.

If you’re looking for other events where you can get all lovey-dovey with someone, as always, we’ve got you covered:

Thursday, February 12

Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge presents Vinyl Night HTX and HiFi at the Finn presents BYOV: Bring Your Own Vinyl Night
You have not one, but two chances to share favorite LPs with fellow vinylheads on Thursday night. It starts with HiFi at the Finn’s BYOV night, featuring special craft cocktails and DJ Mike Bondz spinning your top R&B sounds – whether they’re classic jams or hidden gems. Meanwhile, over at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge, there will be raffle drawings for 10-minute spinning slots, prize raffles, a pizza party courtesy of Home Slice Pizza, and listening to brand-new releases at Sig’s Lagoon. 6 pm and 7 pm.

The Great Benjamins Circus
The Great Benjamins Circus is a celebration of human artistry, athleticism, and the timeless magic of live performance. For 90 minutes, audiences experience the energy, beauty, and excitement that only a real circus can deliver — clowns, acrobats, aerialists, and daredevils performing feats that inspire wonder and amazement. 7:30 pm (4:30 & 7:30 pm Friday; 1:30, 4:30, & 7:30 pm Saturday; 1:30 & 4:30 pm Sunday).

Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Hadestown
Winner of eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical), Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites the audience on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and director Rachel Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. 7:30 pm (2 & 7:30 pm Saturday; 1:30 & 7 pm Sunday).

Friday, February 13

Community Artists’ Collective presents "Nurturing the Feminine: Veils" opening reception
The Community Artists’ Collective launches its 2026 season with “Nurturing the Feminine: Veils.” Sisters Brittany and Devan Mayfield have created a ceremonial practice — inspired by lived experience, ancestral remembrance and embodied healing — which transforms The Collective’s gallery space as a site representing nourishment, devotion and reflection. "Veils" unfolds as an exploration of the ‘Divine Feminine” through ritual, imagery and installation, honoring the feminine as layered, cyclical and sovereign. Through Saturday, March 21. 6 pm.

Vivian Tu: Well Endowed
Vivian Tu comes to Houston in celebration of her new book, Well Endowed. Picking up where Rich AF – her first bestselling book – left off, Well Endowed offers a fun, practical roadmap to navigating the biggest financial decisions in adulthood (homeownership, marriage, family planning, etc.), empowering readers to align their spending with their values, goals, and legacy. Book Bundle tickets include a premium reserved seat and a signed copy of Well Endowed. Additional books will be on sale at the event. 6 pm.

Rice Cinema presents El Norte
Co-writer/director Gregory Nava’s El Norte is a 1983 film central to the rise of Independent cinema in the U.S. Split into three parts, it marks the journey of two indigenous youths who flee from Guatemala to the United States. Premiering at Cannes, winner of the Grand Prix of the Montreal Film Festival, and now part of the National Film Registry, El Norte offers up a vision of the migration of people that may be forgotten today. A reception will take place before the screening. 7 pm.

Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group presents Love Bites: A Valentine's Haunted House
13th Floor Haunted House is getting a Valentine’s makeover. For three nights, the frightening funhouse will be delivering the same thrills and chills of the Halloween season, but with a lover’s twist. Finally, all those sickos who are in love and into blood, gore, & all forms of scary stuff can spend their V-Day walking though a freakin’ hellscape, getting the junk scared out of them – and falling in love all over again. 7 pm.

Saturday, February 14

Crafted Miles at Craft Pita
Craft Pita is teaming up with Houston’s popular Loose Lace Run Club for a relaxed, community-focused, Saturday-morning run, followed by a post-run brunch gathering celebrating Mediterranean flavors and neighborhood connection. The event invites runners and food lovers of all levels to enjoy a casual two-mile route around the neighborhood before refueling with some of Craft Pita’s favorite brunch bites. As part of the experience, Craft Pita will offer complimentary breakfast tacos for attendees, along with 15% off the full menu. 10 am.

Markets for Makers presents Houston Valentine's Market
Over at POST Houston, Markets for Makers' Houston Valentine's Market is a two-day pop-up market with 100+ local and regional makers, artisans, and food vendors. These markets are known for bringing together independent artists and makers specializing in handmade goods, art, jewelry, home décor, local food and more. DIY craft stations, photo ops, and sponsor activations will also be on the premises. 11 am.

Eureka Heights Brew Co. presents The 5th Annual Eureka Heights Queso Bowl
The 5th Annual Eureka Heights Queso Bowl once again gathers teams from our local Houston community to see who makes the best queso. If competing is your thing, you can still register here. You can put together a cheesy team or go at it solo; just make sure to bring your A-game. For those who just want to eat queso, it's free to attend. All you have to do is show up at noon, eat all the queso, and vote for your favorite one. And because Bowl falls on Valentine’s Day, there will be a cheesy joke competition at 3 pm. Noon.

Houston Arboretum presents Tapas on the Trails
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center presents its annual Valentine’s-themed Tapas on the Trails. Guests can help raise funds for conservation and education efforts while enjoying tapas and paired libations. The event features a leisurely walk on softly lit trails. With a focus on “Love in Nature,” guests will experience six food stops and sample specially selected beers and wines. The menu will be crafted by expert chefs at Cotton Culinary, Kelly Prohl of Double Decanted, and Lennie Ambrose of Saint Arnold Brewing Company. 5 pm.

Sunday, February 15

Karbach Brewing Co. presents Rodeo Clown RoundUp
It’s rodeo season in Houston and, after a hiatus since 2020, the Rodeo Clown RoundUp is back by popular demand. The RoundUp is a fun-filled, chip-timed 5K and 10K where every participant will receive a finisher medal, event t-shirt, and free beer at the finish for participants 21 and over. After the race will be Singo Bingo in the biergarten, plus brunch at Karbach Restaurant and Patio and Pizza and Pints, both opening at 10 am on race day. 8 am.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Annie Hall
Celebrate the late Diane Keaton by revisiting her Oscar-winning comedic turn as a quirky New Yorker in Woody Allen’s classic 1977 rom-com. Allen stars as a divorced comedian who examines the rise and fall of his relationship with Keaton’s quirky, titular nightclub singer. He reflects on his childhood and early adult years before telling the story of how he and Annie met, fell in love, and struggled with the obstacles of modern romance, mixing surreal fantasy sequences with small moments of emotional drama. 5 pm.

Alemán & Gera MX in concert
Hailing from Mexico – which means they’re ready to bother more people with their native Spanish – Latin trap stars Alemán & Gera MX will be in Houston, as part of their Rich Mafia tour. Alemán is touring in support of his 2025 album, De Vuelta a las Andadas, while Gera MX (ranked number thirty-seven on Rolling Stone en Español's list of the "50 Greatest Rappers in the History of Spanish-Language Rap") is touring in support of his 2024 album, Las que te escribí y nunca te cante. 8 pm.

Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

See Hadestown at the Hobby Center this weekend.

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