“It’s only right that we do ‘Texas Hold ’Em’ for the first time in Texas, on Christmas.” So proclaimed Beyoncé near the end of a thrilling performance at the halftime show of the Houston Texans-Baltimore Ravens matchup on Christmas Day — a special, one-of-a-kind showcase for her album Cowboy Carter that fans have waited months to see and savor.

In the middle of a special Christmas Day NFL game on Netflix, Beyoncé was introduced as a “hometown hero,” ahead of ‘Beyoncé Bowl.’ Fittingly, the extended performance, and live debut of several Cowboy Carter tracks, felt fully independent of its halftime-show context, a must-see live event that was streamed globally, dominated all of social media, and just happened to exist during a football game.

Introducing an all-white western aesthetic that carried over through the full performance, Beyoncé arrived on a white horse backstage, singing “16 Carriages” and making her way to the field at NRG Stadium, with blonde curls adorning the sides of her face. She then segued into her soulful version of “Blackbiird” after dismounting and walking forward, flanked by band members and backup singers, then by her four co-singers on the track: Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts.

Finally arriving onstage, Bey launched into an exhilarating version of album highlight “Ya Ya,” a marching band bringing effusive energy as she sashayed down the field and into the end zone. The quieter intro of the set had fully given way to dozens of dancers and musicians by the time Beyoncé played her 2023 single “My House” live for the first time, followed by a pair of Cowboy Carter back-half gems: “Riiverdance” and “Sweet ★ Honey ★ Buckiin’.” The latter featured Shaboozey, delivering his triumphant guest spot a few weeks after tying the all-time Hot 100 record with his own single “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”

Then the tempo slowed down, Bey struck a pose in front of a pickup truck, and she launched into “Levii’s Jeans” — with Post Malone waiting for her in the bed of the truck. Rocking a diamond-encrusted white jacket and (of course) jeans, Posty gave us a few seconds of heartfelt duet with Bey, both superstars beaming while performing the song for the first time together.

After performing her cover of “Jolene” while making her way downfield on a convertible, she launched into the No. 1 hit from Cowboy Carter, “Texas Hold’ Em,” with her daughter, Blue Ivy, dancing by her side. “Now I need all my cowboys to the dance floor!” Bey exclaimed, shortly before ascending towards the roof of the stadium, ending the performance in mid-air on a small white platform and bathed in rapturous applause from the hometown crowd.

The performance marked the first live presentation of Bey’s Cowboy Carter album, which was released last March, topped the Billboard 200 chart in April and scored the superstar another Grammy nom for album of the year. Although Beyoncé spent 2023 on the road in supper of her 2022 full-length Renaissance, she has yet to tour behind Cowboy Carter… although immediately after the performance, she did tease an announcement for Jan. 14, 2025.

Netflix’s two Christmas Day games are a first of their kind, with the streaming service expected to continue the holiday tradition through at least 2026. Beyoncé is a veteran of the major NFL halftime show: she headlined Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 in New Orleans, reuniting with her Destiny’s Child group mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and returned for Super Bowl 50 in 2016, performing at halftime with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.