A cross between Pat Benatar and Reba, with a dash of Aretha, Kelly Clarkson headlined Saturday afternoon’s RodeoHouston matinee, 22 years since she debuted at NRG Stadium, in front of 70,007.

It was a true “Ladies Day Out” at RodeoHouston for Clarkson, with roving multigenerational groups of women making the rounds under an only mildly-oppressive Houston sun. Between Clarkson, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Lizzo, the 2026 rodeo concert season has been dominated by strong female artists, with Clarkson the most decorated.

The last time Kelly Clarkson played RodeoHouston in 2004, she shared a Tuesday night bill with Y2K it couple Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, a match made in MTV ratings heaven. Other acts on the rodeo roster that year included John Mayer, George Strait, Reba, Willie Nelson, and — fresh from her first stint with Destiny’s Child — Beyonce shared the stage with Alicia Keys two nights later.

The first American Idol winner in 2002, when daresay that truly meant something, she and Carrie Underwood remain the two most successful of winners of Idol all these years later. Clarkson has a permanent seat at the table in Nashville, winning back-to-back CMA Female Vocalist of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013 and never shying away from a little more twang in her power pop. Right out of the chute, she was repping country style, hard to shake when you’re born and raised near Fort Worth.

Clarkson’s current live act has been honed by various residencies at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, playing in front of thousands of Sin City customers. She’s a part of a rare group of performers like Jennifer Lopez, Cyndi Lauper, and even Dolly Parton herself who can command multiple nights. With her syndicated chat show — where her popular genre-bending “Kellyoke” segments were born — ending later this year, it wouldn’t be shocking to see this working mom jump back into regular touring outside of Clark County, especially considering Saturday’s afternoon drawl.

Clarkson emerged from the cocoon of the rodeo’s revolving star stage just before 4:15 pm in a black, glittery jumpsuit straight from Ozzy’s wardrobe closet with “Favorite Kind of High” from 2023’s divorce record Chemistry, her latest album release. The hard-driving Heart-rock of “Behind These Hazel Eyes” debuted some annoying, intermittent sound skippage but Clarkson’s sold-out crowd filled in any gaps. Her pipes were just too strong.

A nod to the female country legends of rodeo’s past, Clarkson gave Tanya Tucker’s “It’s A Little Too Late” a widescreen Vegas makeover with horns and fiddle. “This isn’t sweat, it’s glow,” Clarkson joked, kicking off the torch song “Because Of You.” The singalong of “Breakaway” could more than likely be heard out in the carnival, the first big “Kellyoke” moment of the afternoon.

For “Walk Away” and “Didn’t I,” the horn section and co-ed backup singers that have made Clarkson’s Vegas shows so bombastic got a workout. Clarkson reeled out her Jason Aldean duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” as a solo. The release was her first country hit and was one of the biggest country duets of the 2010s.

“It’s way more sad this way,” she laughed. “Because I guess he didn’t stay.”

Clarkson threw in 2025’s bar-crawling single "Where Have You Been" in the mix, going rogue from the supplied setlist, accentuating the Queen-esque licks with her own highs. Her post-Idol debut rave-up “Miss Independent” set the table for “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),”

Clarkson sent the crowd out pogo-ing and screaming with “Since U Been Gone,” making her exit in a SUV like a rock star, with plenty of sunshine to spare.

Setlist

Favorite Kind Of High
Behind These Hazel Eyes
My Life Would Suck Without You
It’s A Little Too Late (Tanya Tucker cover)
Because Of You
Breakaway
Heat
Walk Away
Didn’t I
Heartbeat Song
Don’t You Wanna Stay
Where Have You Been
Miss Independent
Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
Since U Been Gone

2004 RodeoHouston Lineup

Mar 2: John Mayer
Mar 3: George Strait
Mar 4: Wynonna Judd
Mar 5: B2K / Bow Wow
Mar 6: Martina McBride
Mar 7: Reba McEntire
Mar 8: Enrique Iglesias
Mar 9: Alan Jackson
Mar 10: Amy Grant / Vince Gill
Mar 11: Clay Walker
Mar 12: Legends in Concert (Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith)
Mar 13: Randy Travis
Mar 14: Bronco / Jennifer Peña
Mar 15: Dierks Bentley / Robert Earl Keen
Mar 16: Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey / Kelly Clarkson
Mar 17: Dierks Bentley / Keith Urban / Kenny Chesney
Mar 18: Alicia Keys / Beyoncé
Mar 19: Pat Green
Mar 20: Brooks & Dunn
Mar 21: Willie Nelson

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo