Beyonce pays tribute to Whitney as she returns to the stage

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 (25May12) 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 (12).

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."

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."