Beyonce paid tribute to Whitney Houston as she returned to the stage for the first time since becoming a mom, singing the late superstar's hit "I Will Always Love You".

The "Crazy In Love" star took to the stage in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Friday night for the first of four consecutive gigs at the newly-launched Revel resort, her first shows since giving birth to daughter Blue Ivy in January.

She ran through a slew of her hits, including Single "Ladies (Put A Ring On It)", "Irreplaceable", "Halo" and "If I Were A Boy", and told the audience, "I gotta say, it feels so good to be back home on stage."

"Y'all don't know how hard I had to work. I had to lose 60 pounds. They had me on the treadmill, eating lettuce," she added.

And partway through the show, Beyonce gave a nod to her idol Houston by belting out one of her biggest songs.

Beyonce's husband Jay-Z proudly watched on as his wife thrilled fans in the audience, and he took to his Twitter.com account to declare, "I'm gonna say this... BEYONCE is the best performer in the world. Period."

Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia flew in for the concert, according to UPI.com, where the First Lady received an ovation from the crowd.

Beyonce's concerts at Revel's Ovation Hall mark the grand opening of the new resort.

Other celebs in the crowd included Maria Bello, Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.