Ken Hoffman meets the tattooed, tough HGTV star who demolishes home sellers in advance of his Houston visit

no average joe

Photo courtesy of HGTV

Recently, I was in for my semi-annual teeth cleaning (Editor’s note: About time, Ken.) and nitrous oxide session when the dental hygienist leaned me back in the barber’s chair and asked if I’d like to watch the TV mounted on the ceiling.

I asked, “What channel do most people ask for?” She said, “HGTV by far, and that includes men and women.”

Okay, while you’re doing demo in my mouth, let me watch David and Hilary Love It or List It.

That was the first question I asked Joe Mazza, star of Home Inspector Joe, a new hit show on HGTV that follows Mazza conducting full cavity searches on houses for prospective buyers.

Mazza is a fast-talking, wise-cracking, tattooed-up, motorcycle-riding, hip New Yorker who searches high and low for hidden problems in a house. It’s fun entertainment watching him tear apart a house discovering structural flaws and safety issues. I’m sympathy sweating for the homeowner who’s praying, please don’t look in the attic.

Mazza will be the star attraction this weekend at the Houston Home + Garden Show at NRG Center. He will appear on the Fresh Ideas Stage at 6 pm Friday September 16 and 11 am and 2 pm Saturday, September 17. Mazza will offer tips and ideas how to make your house more attractive to potential buyers, plus demonstrate DIY tricks of his trade and conduct a live Q&A with the audience.

The Home + Garden Show runs through Sunday. Tickets are available online.

I caught up with Mazza in advance of his big appearance.

CultureMap: Before HGTV gave you a show and made you a TV star, you inspected homes and worked in construction for 20 years as just regular ol’ Joe Mazza. Did you have any idea how popular HGTV was?

Joe Mazza: It’s massive. It’s wild. Every office you go into, everyone I talk to says “it’s on my TV all the time.” Guys will tell me, “yeah, my wife is always watching it.” I’ll ask them, “and you don’t?” They’ll say, “well, yeah.” I’m super honored to be in the position I’m in now. It’s ridiculous, I can’t even explain it to you.

CM: HGTV must have a zillion shows pitched to them every year. How did Home Inspector Joe get their attention?

JM: They found me through Instagram, through social media. USA Today saw me in 2019 and said, “Hey, Joe, you want to do a video for us about first time home buyers? Whoa, that’s crazy, so I did it. The word got out. HGTV saw me. They contacted me and said there was an opportunity for me to possibly have my own show. Fast forward, here I am. It was all through social media. It was me being me, just doing home inspections. I have fun doing what I love and we go from there.

CM: There are thousands of professional home inspectors around the country. What was it about you that caught HGTV’s interest?

JM: My personality was a massive factor how I got the show. I watch all those videos about home inspection on social media and they’re very educational, but they’re very boring. You have to have fun with what you’re doing, even in bad moments. You can joke about things, say asbestos, but be very serious at the same time. It’s all about engaging your audience.

CM: Do people understand the role a home inspector plays in the home buying process? Who do you work for, the buyer or the seller?

JM: I work for the buyer 99 percent of the time. The real estate agent will refer me to the buyer or the buyer will hear about me through word of mouth. I work for the person who’s paying me and that’s typically the buyer. No one stands in my way, no one tells me how to do my job or what to put in my report.

CM: Are home sellers scared of you?

JM: Now they are, but not every one of them. I was at a house recently and the real estate agent and the seller were there. They saw me and went, “oh, crap.” To me that was flattering.

CM: How thorough is a home inspection?

JM: Certain things we can and can’t do. If a place is inaccessible, we don’t have to go in there. If we can’t get on a roof, we don’t have to struggle to get on the roof. What separates me from others, that roof that I can’t get on, I will find a way to get on it. You have to dig deep.

What keeps me out of trouble is, I make sure I’m on point 100 percent of the time. I inspect every house as if my wife and daughter are moving into it. If you go into an inspection with that mentality, you’re going to kick butt.

CM: How sneaky are homeowners at hiding flaws or potential deal breakers in their house?

JM: Very, very. I love it when they try, because I’m going to catch them. If I go through a basement and it’s freshly painted, that’s a red flag right there. “You just painted the basement. Why?” I start digging deeper, not just inside the basement, but outside to see what’s going on. A lot of problems in the basement start on the outside.

I’ll see if they put boxes or furniture in front of a moldy wall. They’ll say, “where else am I supposed to put the furniture?”

CM: What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve found during a home inspection?

JM: I had an inspection close to my house. I was in the crawl space and as I walking around the floor was crunching. I looked down and the floor was covered with teeth. There were thousands of teeth down there. It was gross and terrifying.

Was I going to find hundreds of bodies in the backyard? It turned out the guy was a tooth manufacturer and threw teeth in there a hundred years ago. No one warned me about that. The grossest thing, besides dead animals, people leave stuff out in the open — inappropriate personal stuff. I just keep working around it.

CM: Ever hired to inspect a house occupied by a hoarder?

JM: I’ve done a couple of houses where they were hoarders with wall-to-wall stuff. Usually I’ll just turn around and walk out. There’s nothing I can do.

I will tell the real estate agent that the house is a fire hazard and you’re putting people in jeopardy. If the house is just dirty, yeah, whatever, that’s fine. I’m okay if they have a lot of junk around. But a hoarder’s house, like on that TV show, that’s disgusting.

I had a house that had 15 cats and like 12 dogs. They didn’t clean anything ever. I walked in and the hit of ammonia slammed me to heaven. I got dizzy and started gagging. I went outside and the owner wanted to know what was wrong. She was scratching her arms. I told her, “for one, your arms are bleeding. Your animals are crapping and peeing all over your house. The house needs to be condemned.”

I told the buyer to get the hell away from this house.

-----

Joe Mazza appears at the Houston Home and Garden Show at 6 pm Friday September 16 and 11 am and 2 pm Saturday September 17 at NRG Park. Show runs through Sunday, September 18. For tickets, full schedule, and more information, visit the official site.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

7 spectacular surprises inside Chip and Joanna Gaines' new Fixer Upper castle in North Texas

Royal revelation

“Are you ready to see your fixer upper?” the enthusiastic tour guide asked, channeling Chip and Joanna Gaines and their famous “big reveal” line from TV’s Fixer Upper. This time, it wasn't the home owners waiting outside a first glimpse at their home makeover; it was a small group of tourists gathered on the porch, ready to step inside the Gaineses’ most ambitious renovation project yet — a century-old castle in Waco.

For the first time ever, Texas’ king and queen of renovation have unlocked the doors and let the public into one of their famed fixer-uppers before it’s featured on their Magnolia Network show.

Known as the historic Cottonland Castle, this three-story, 6,700-square-foot residence was started in 1890 and finished in 1913. The Gaineses purchased the dilapidated structure in 2019 and designed and executed a regal flip that will be featured on an eight-episode special called Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle, beginning October 14.

They plan to sell it in the fall. But before a home sale comes an open house, and for three months only — through October 29 — the castle is open six days a week for guided tours.

Hour-long castle expeditions take visitors through every room, nook, and cranny — from turret to toilettes. Knowledgeable guides dispense history, impart design information, and reveal behind-the-scenes stories from Chip and Jo that may or may not make it on TV.

For Fixer Upper fans, Magnolia maniacs, and Gaines gangs, it's worth a drive to Waco to experience the castle transformation in real life before it hits the small screen. A tour offers the very rare chance to walk through the door (in this case, a 10-foot-tall, 400-pound, solid-oak door) into the world of a Chip-and-Jo reno.

Without revealing too much, here are seven fun surprises you’ll find behind the castle walls.

1. History meets homey. A castle museum, this is not.

“Chip and Joanna’s vision was that they really wanted to honor it with historical pieces but also make it more practical for the modern family that’s going to live here in the future,” guide Megan Shuler said at the beginning of the tour.

While many original features — including seven fireplaces — were restored, the castle has been fixed up as a home for the future, not a shrine to the past. One-of-a-kind and collected antiques (such as the kingly dining room table from Round Top, Texas) blend with pieces from the Gaineses’ own Magnolia Home collection. A 17-page “Castle Sourcebook” lists design elements and products and where to buy them. And in the ultimate modern touch — a branding tie-in — a forthcoming “Colors of the Castle” paint collection will be available through Magnolia this fall.

2. Sweet nods to the castle’s past. Posted on the wall in the foyer is a poem written by Alfred Abeel, the owner who completed construction in 1913. It talks of making the castle “‘home sweet home’ all seasons of the year.”

On the center of the dining room fireplace mantel is Abeel’s family crest, along with the phrase (in Latin), “God’s providence saves me.” Next to it, children’s heights are recorded from the 1930s to the early 2000s, the last time a family lived here.

3. A cozy nook in the turret. The original design was modeled after a small castle on the Rhine River in Germany, and there is one tower turret. A space historically used (in “real” castles) for military defense has, here, been turned into one of the coziest corners of the house. Tucked into a corner next to the winding staircase, two comfy chairs sit under an antique-y light fixture from Austria. It's the perfect place to curl up with a book from the library upstairs.

4. Rooms with storylines. “One of the challenges Chip and Joanna had when they bought the castle was, there was no one, really, they were designing it for,” Shuler explained. “So they would create storylines for each room to help tell their story.”

Two of the four bedrooms, for example, are the “boy’s bedroom,” and “girl’s bedroom.” The storylines are that the future homeowner’s son would come back from college and stay in his childhood bedroom, and that the future homeowner’s granddaughters would stay in the room while hanging out at the grandparents’ house.

The boy’s room contains more masculine furnishings and decor, including a watercolor portrait of Roy Lane, the famous architect who helped complete the castle. The girl’s room is painted in “Rose Pink,” a color named after Joanna’s grandmother.

5. Bodacious bathrooms. There are three-and-a-half “throne rooms” in the castle, and they’re some of the prettiest spaces, mixing metals, woods, and tiles; even original radiators look like works of art. One of the most spectacular rooms in the house, in fact, is a grand, gleaming bathroom — which (tease!) will be fully revealed on the show.

6. Party in the basement. “Gathering spaces” are a hallmark of Chip and Jo’s homes, and in the castle, they take place in the dungeon — er, basement. A “card room” for poker games or family game nights sits next to the family room, which houses the only TV in the castle. The guest bedroom’s also in the basement, along with a laundry room and a former wine cellar now left “blank” for the new owners to reimagine.

7. Behind-the-scenes tales and tidbits. Fixer Upper devotees will devour the charming and quirky tidbits about the Gaineses shared throughout the tour. There are a few design elements and furnishings originally meant for their own home, including an item banished to the castle by their daughters. There’s a fun story about what Chip did when they found bones — yes, bones — in the basement. And, the prime selfie spot for Fixer Upper fans is a large mirror that, the tour guides say, Joanna used to touch up her makeup during the filming of the show.

Castle tour tickets, $50, are available through the website, with 20 percent of proceeds benefiting The Cove nonprofit organization. (Note that the home does not have an elevator and requires guests’ ability to access three staircases.)

Tips for a Magnolia pilgrimage in Waco:
Shop: No castle jaunt would be complete without a stop at the Magnolia Silos complex. A new 8:15 am tour, offered Monday through Saturday, takes visitors behind the scenes and on the roof before the crowds (and the heat) arrive. Hint: August is a “slower” month at the Silos, and Tuesday through Thursday are less crowded. Tour tickets are $25 and come with a free coffee from Magnolia Press.

Eat: Chip and Joanna’s Magnolia Table cafe stays busy all day, every day. If you don’t have time to wait for a table, visit the takeaway market next door. Grab to-go items like pimiento cheese and crackers, a butter flight, banana pudding, and chicken salad sandwiches, and enjoy them on a table outside (if it's not too hot).

Stay: Availability at Magnolia’s four vacation rentals can be hard to come by, but watch the website for nights to pop open. Make it a girls’ getaway with a stay at the grand Hillcrest Estate (which sleeps 12), or go solo and book the darling Hillcrest Cottage, the Gaineses’ newest and smallest lodging, which opened in fall 2021. A forthcoming Magnolia boutique hotel, in the historic Grand Karem Shrine building downtown, is slated to open in 2024.

The castle will be on tour only through the end of October, before it's featured on a special season of Fixer Upper - Wecome Home.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

The castle will be on tour only through the end of October, before it's featured on a special season of Fixer Upper - Wecome Home.

Courtesy of DH Photography, Compass

Unique Texas glass home featured on HGTV hits market for $1.2 million

no throwing stones, please

A treehouse-like home near Austin's Lake Travis that’s been featured on HGTV can now be yours for $1.2 million.

The 1,653-square-foot house, just south of Hudson Bend at 2803 Manitou Dr., offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and plenty of rugged yet modern charm. The home is in the Apace Shores neighborhood.

Highlights of the contemporary home, situated on a half-acre wooded lot, include 30-foot-high glass walls and 11 sets of sliding glass doors. The two-story house, built in 2003 as architect John Allen’s own residence, is one of the few homes in the vicinity that provide private access to the Indian Creek hiking trail.

Allen “believed that the rugged and what many called ‘unbuildable’ lot was the perfect spot to accomplish his vision of living one with nature due to the greenery of the adjacent hiking trail, along with the sun, moon, stars, and thunderstorms as seen through glass walls and balconies,” the listing agent, Monica Fabbio of Compass, tells CultureMap.

Aside from being featured in 2007 on the HGTV series Look What I Did, the house recently served as the main shooting location for an upcoming movie. Viewers of the movie will notice that decks and patios grace all four sides of the hillside home, which is set back from a cul-de-sac. Nearby waterfalls and a spring-fed creek add to the ambiance.

“A dramatic rock wall and bridge entrance to the home make for amazing settings,” the listing says.

An adjacent second lot, which is undeveloped, is included in the sale.

Allen, who originally designed the glass-and-steel home as his “bachelor pad” before eventually getting hitched, sold the house in 2007 to the current owner.

“We heard the word ‘impossible’ more than once when it came to building our house,” says Suzanne Allen, the architect’s wife. “It’s a word that would discourage many people, but for John and me, the word invigorates, motivates, and inspires. In the process of building our house, we proved that with imagination, persistence, and resolution, the impossible idea becomes an achievable reality.”

Many called the lot at 2803 Manitou Dr "unbuildable," but architect John Allen saw its true potential.

Courtesy of DH Photography, Compass

Many called the lot at 2803 Manitou Dr "unbuildable," but architect John Allen saw its true potential.

Photo by Charro Photography

Texas builder unveils sleek prefabricated luxury homes starting at $600,000

prefab fab

A Texas homebuilder has brought a high-end approach to a type of housing that has often been lumped into the low-end category.

Escobedo Group, based in Buda, a suburb of Austin, has introduced a “panelized” construction system that enables a luxury home to be prefabricated and then installed on a homesite within roughly five months. So far, more than 70 of the company’s DARIO Villas homes have been built.

Over the years, prefab construction has frequently been associated with cheap, mass-produced housing. Following World War II, the British embraced prefab construction to address a severe housing shortage. Amid the 19th century’s California Gold Rush, prospectors relied on prefab homes to quickly provide shelter.

In recent years, prefab homes have gained fans as construction techniques have grown more sophisticated.

“DARIO is a better way to build. The construction method we have designed is more efficient and dramatically reduces construction waste while saving the client the most precious commodity — their time,” David Escobedo, co-owner of Escobedo Group, tells CultureMap.

Escobedo Group, founded in 1987, official launched the DARIO brand in June.

DARIO touts the ability to construct and assemble a home in a matter of months rather than, in some cases, a few years.

A buyer can choose from among three floor plans with one, two, or three bedrooms, and then select an interior package. A one-bedroom DARIO home starts at $600,000. Larger options go for $1 million or more.

A DARIO home measures anywhere from 800 to 20,000 square feet.

Escobedo constructs the home panels at its 60,000-square-foot facility, then delivers them to a homesite and puts together the new home within hours. The panels include all of the components needed for a home, such as the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. Each home features steel framing and a pier-and-beam foundation.

Optional add-ons include:

Roof-mounted solar power
Battery storage to supply electricity during power outages
Eco-friendly water collection, storage, and filtration

The end product is sleek and modern, like any built-from-the-ground-up luxury home.

Escobedo’s DARIO homes are currently available in Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma. The company says they can be placed in pretty much any residential setting, from a rural ranch to a cliffside locale.

“Whether you need a new guest house, vacation retreat, or expanded living space, this is truly revolutionizing the way building is done. The complications and mess of construction are a thing of the past,” the homebuilder says.

Escobedo Group uses a “panelized” construction system to prefabricate luxury homes and install within roughly five months.

Photo by Charro Photography

Escobedo Group uses a “panelized” construction system to prefabricate luxury homes and install within roughly five months.

Photo via HGTV.com

Handsome HGTV hunk headlines huge Houston Home + Garden show

ty time

Spring is around the corner and a new year is here, meaning myriad Houstonians are ready for a major home refresh. Perfect timing, then, for the return of the Houston Home + Garden Show, which will set up shop at NRG Center from Friday February 4 through Sunday February 6.

This year’s mecca for DIYers, interior designers, gardening aficionados, style-makers, and even pet owners will feature celebrity guests Ty Pennington (television host, designer, carpenter, and author) and Chet Garner, the PBS Host of The Day Tripper. Expect those hosts, plus countless home-related products and services, industry experts, unique feature displays, booths, and more.

Pet owners can enjoy “PETopia,” featuring products for fur babies and even some dog fashion shows on Friday and Saturday night. The program is supported by Houston Pets Alive and Houston Humane Society.

In appreciation to those who go the extra mile, Saturday, February 5, will be dubbed “Heroes Day.” Here all active-duty military, veterans, first responders, and healthcare workers will receive free admission with proof of identification. Meanwhile, Sunday, February 6, is “Teachers Day,” where all school staff members and teachers will receive free admission with proof of identification, per an announcement.

Tickets are $10 per adult or $8 per adult if purchased online. Kids 12 and under can enter for free, and a senior discount is available if buying tickets at the box office and with proof of ID. Tickets can be purchased on the website or on-site at NRG Center.

For some added value and fun, visitors can enter the “Sweet Space Sweepstakes” for their chance to win a $500 Visa gift card.

For a full schedule, tickets, and contest information, visit the Houston Home + Garden Show website.

Photo courtesy of HGTV

Chip and Joanna Gaines relaunch Fixer Upper and debut new show with Texas star

big gaines

Are y'all ready to see more Fixer Upper? Apparently Chip and Joanna Gaines were, too, as the HGTV home renovation show that made them stars is getting a new season on their forthcoming Magnolia Network.

And along with the announcement of their show's relaunch comes news of a new Magnolia Network show starring a Dallas-Fort Worth entrepreneur.

The Gaineses announced the Fixer Upper return in a short video, filled with their signature lovable quirkiness, posted to social media the morning of Tuesday, August 4.

In it, they're driving around their home town, Waco, when Joanna says to Chip that she saw his hammer and tool belt in the car. "What's that about?," she asks, to which he replies, "Just in case." He declares he has a surprise for her, and when they arrive at an old house, he tells her he's signed them up for another season of Fixer Upper.

"I've kind of missed it," Joanna admits, and they walk toward the house.

Fixer Upper — HGTV's biggest hit of all time — ended in 2018. Since then, the Gaineses have had a fifth child and created their own Magnolia Network, which is set to replace the DIY Network. Magnolia's launch was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fixer Upper was not included as part of the Magnolia lineup revealed in a sneak peek back in April, though the network promised plenty of Gaines family footage. On the heels of her second cookbook release, Joanna will be cooking with friends, they promised. And Chip will get plenty more "demo day" action as they continue to take on big renovation projects around Waco, they say. (Here are the first 10 shows revealed on the network.)

Along with the Fixer Upper announcement, the Gaineses revealed to Deadline that two new shows would launch on Magnolia, and one has a North Texas star.

"Self Employed (working title) follows Fort Worth, Texas-based entrepreneur Jonathan Morris as he travels the United States meeting some of the country’s most inspiring small business owners. Together, they will share stories of unwavering resilience, insatiable ambition and the winding roads they’ve traveled to successfully build their dream jobs," Deadline says, adding that due to the pandemic, the first season will likely be filmed in Texas towns within driving distance of DFW.

The other new show, they say, is an untitled series starring self-taught interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn.

According to a blog post by Chip, the new season of Fixer Upper will start when the Magnolia Network launches in 2021. He writes that he and Joanna were not expecting to bring the show back when they wrapped production a few years ago.

"I mean it when I say that it wasn’t more than a few weeks ago that we first talked about returning to the show," he writes. "I mentioned it to Jo, fully expecting her to tell me I was crazy. But instead, in a real sincere way, she told me she’d been missing it too. I get that it all may seem a little impulsive and that might be true. But the more Jo and I talked it over, the more we began to see it for what it really is: an opportunity to get to share with you some of the projects we care most about."

They're currently casting for season six in the Waco area. More information here.

Chip and JoJo are back on TV.

Photo courtesy of HGTV

Chip and JoJo are back on TV.

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Houston's oldest craft brewery wins top spot at Great American Beer Festival

a major award

Houston’s oldest craft brewery received a major award over the weekend. Saint Arnold Brewing Company won the Brewer’s Association 2023 Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

Saint Arnold Great American Beer Festival

Courtesy of Saint Arnold

A group of employees represented Saint Arnold at the awards.

It’s the first time Saint Arnold has won the Brewery of the Year award since 2017. The local favorite also earned Gold Medals in two categories — English Ale for its Elissa IPA and Golden or Blonde Ale for Fancy Lawnmower. In total, Saint Arnold has won 29 medals at the event, according to a statement.

Considered the most prestigious awards in the beer world, the Great American Beer Festival features 250 beer experts judging entries in 99 beer categories that cover 175 styles of beer. Overall, the judging panels consider more than 9,000 entries from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

“Winning Brewery of the Year is pretty gosh darn gratifying,” Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner said in a statement. “Winning a second one is unexpected because it’s so rare. It’s a reflection on the quality of our entire team as well as the beers we brew.”

The timing couldn’t have been more auspicious. Saint Arnold will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024.

Two other Houston breweries also took home hardware. EaDo’s True Anomaly Brewing took home a Gold in the Contemporary American-Style Lager for Scout and a Silver in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer for Sea of Waves. Karbach Brewing won a Gold in the Non-Alcohol Beer category for its Free & Easy Belgian-Style White.

See a full list of winners at AmericanCraftBeer.com.

Beyoncé reigns supreme with Megan Thee Stallion cameo in jaw-dropping Houston Renaissance Tour opening night

bey run the world

How much does Beyoncé love Houston? Enough to turn the first of her two-night H-Town concert tour stop into an all-out and unforgettable celebration of her fans, friends, and her beloved hometown.

Late Saturday September 24 at NRG Stadium, Queen Bey proved once again that she rules all in a night boasting a Megan Thee Stallion cameo, fellow native Houstonians Lizzo and original, founding Destiny’s Child members in the crowd, and a three-hour, jaw-dropping, sometimes breathtaking journey.

Houston’s love for their queen was so palpable on Saturday, September 24 at NRG Stadium that even the usually grouchy traffic cops became hype men. “I can’t hear you: who’s ready to see Beyoncé!?” bellowed a middle-aged traffic Metro officer.

The crowd entering NRG formed a sea of sparkling sequins, silver cowboy hats, and silver boots, per Beyoncé’s request for silver or shiny looks for her worldwide Renaissance Tour stops. It was as much a fashion show as a concert: sequin dresses, denim skirts, mesh tanks, fringe masks, bootie-revealing shirts, and high heels on Beyhive members of every gender and age. Beyoncé didn’t need an opening act: the spontaneous singalongs made for the perfect pre-party.

After a giddy wait, Beyoncé rose from under the stage, positively resplendent in a black polka-dot dress, pearls, and white gloves as wind blew through her blonde locks. Opening with the dramatic “Dangerously in Love 2” from the album that launched her career, she held long, drawn-out notes as the band went silent, reminding all that she’s more than an icon, she’s a supremely talented vocalist.

“H-Town, it's goin’ down...”

Flashing her million-dollar grin, the queen decreed, “Oh tonight, H-Town, it's goin’ down,” for the homecoming. “Thank you for your love and loyalty. This is my gratitude tour. I’m so grateful to be on this stage, back home in Houston, Texas.”

“I can travel to any country around the world, but you ain’t ever gonna take the country out of this girl. I represent y’all everywhere I go, and I wanna make you proud.”

She breathlessly went through “1+1” while kicking up a leg and sitting atop a piano. She rose and strutted across the long catwalk into the packed floor for “I Care,” and channeled Tina Turner in “River Deep - Mountain High,” which she dedicated to Turner, her “idol.”

A dazzling video interlude took viewers into a Sci-Fi journey of chrome mazes and robots riding rockets. When “RENAISSANCE” popped on the scream, the crowd shrieked as Beyoncé remerged, standing with her fist up in a shimmering silver catsuit, sunglasses, and tall boots, going into “I’m That Girl,” “Cozy” and the spacey “Alien Superstar” from the Renaissance album.

This wasn’t a typical show where fans sang back to classics and stayed silent during new material: fans sang back every lyric to every song, regardless of era. No surprise that NRG rocked when she broke in “Crazy in Love,” her 2003 hook-filled announcement to the world with (now) husband Jay-Z, and the ultimate girl powered “Run the World (Girls).”

It should cost a billion for these fits

And the costumes, oh, the costumes. In each sonic journey, Beyoncé emerged in radiant shine, camouflage, and even a flame-adorned cowboy hat. Nowhere is her “PURE/HONEY” lyric, “It should cost a billion to look this good,” more fitting than with these show-stopping fits.

Our Behyive was also treated to a “Thique,” “All Up In Your Mind,” and “Drunk in Love,” — fans and critics have tracked that Beyoncé has only performed those three songs four times on this tour.

Like a Method actress working through various roles, Beyoncé channeled a forlorn lover, a fierce empress (especially in “Break My Soul”), a sexy siren, an android goddess — she emerged from a robotic costume “case” that mechanically opened for her — and even a towering, metallic queen bee (see what she did there) TV anchor in “America Has A Problem.”

When she bellowed “I told you I’m a f*cking problem,” in “All Up in Your Mind,” she evoked screams of affirmation. When the gifted singer screamed into the mic — a throat killer for vocalists on tour — and went back into her flawless tones and surging, almost operatic vibrato, Beyoncé reminded that she’s a multi-faceted, complex, self-actualized woman and not just a mere brand.

Megan Thee Stallion and Blue Ivy, y'all

And she’s a proud mother who couldn’t hold back her glee when her daughter Blue Ivy came onstage, seeming almost shocked by the crowd roar. Blue Ivy flashed a heart-hands symbol and popped into dance moves as her mom cheered her on.

The proud mom also cheered on a fellow Houston native and pop superstar Megan Thee Stallion, who bounced onstage for a savage cameo in “Savage Remix.” Spitting rhymes, strutting, and flexing her signature dance moves, Megan waved to fans and paid homage to the queen, squealing “I love you, Beyoncé!” and spinning on the catwalk.

Breathtaking sounds and sights

Rarely has three hours passed so quickly, thanks to bumping video and music interludes, which turned NRG into a club. Cinematic imagery rivaled any movie, and the band’s solo chops — especially on guitar, bass, and drum — made for its own show. Her backup singers alone, who dropped a song in a break, could also be their own act

Dance has always been an integral part of a Beyoncé performance, led by Beyoncé herself, who’s as limber as a gymnast, and her awe-inspiring dancers like Les Twins — who mixed dance with Cirque du Soleil acrobatics — and the vamping, voguing diva Honey Balenciaga.

Owning the stage with the swagger of a champion, Beyoncé displayed the theatricality and edginess of Lady GaGa, the irresistible charm of Taylor Swift, and the ageless physical prowess of Jennifer Lopez. It’s mind-boggling that at 42, Beyoncé looks, moves, and sounds nearly half her age — but with grown-woman mastery.

All hail Queen Bey

In a blink, it was 12:30 am, and the the queen mounted the silvery disco horse — fans call it Reneigh — and soared over the crowd for “Summer Renaissance.”

“No matter where I go, I always keep Houston with me,” she told the screaming, weeping crowd,” like a fairy godmother floating away. “I will always rep for Houston.”

With one NRG Stadium show left on Sunday, September 24, fans from around the country have scored tickets. “I just knew Houston would be different,” a fan told us afterwards, who flew in from Washington, D.C. “I just knew it would be special.”

What better proof that pop’s reigning and undisputed queen will always rep for Houston.

$Beyonc\u00e9 Renaissance Tour Houston NRG Stadium 2023$

Photo courtesy of LiveNation/Beyoncé

Return of the Queen: Beyoncé was back in fierce form.

Favorite Montrose brunch restaurant's major setback leads week's top stories

this week's hot headlines

Editor's note: It's time to recap the top stories on CultureMap from this past week.

1. Favorite Montrose brunch restaurant's highly anticipated return hits setback. The restaurant's reopening has been pushed back to 2024.

2. Houston's newest soup dumpling house sets opening date in familiar Midtown space. We're looking forward to future dumpling crawls to decide on our favorite.

3. Houston pizza maestro retools his wildly successful new Heights restaurant after overwhelming response. The chef says he'd be a "supervillain" if he figured out how to meet so much demand in such a short amount of time.

4. New York Times names 2 must-try Houston eateries to coveted 50 most exciting restaurants list. A new Southern restaurant and a classic Mexican establishment made the list.

5. Ken Hoffman applauds new Texas law that fines service animal impersonators $1K. "As much as I love my dog, I don’t impose her on others," our columnist writes.

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