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Hilary Duff spent Saturday introducing her kids to Houston.

She took them down Voss Road, where she used to ride her bike to the Kroger, and by her childhood home in Memorial. She introduced them to queso at Escalante’s and bought them Shipley Do-Nuts.

“I got to show them what real queso tastes like ‘cause L.A. is not the same,” she said.

Duff got emotional a few times during her sold-out show at the Woodlands Pavilion – but it wasn’t just because she was home. The Lucky Me Tour marks her first trek in 18 years, though local fans have waited even longer. Her last Houston date was 21 years ago at RodeoHouston.

“I keep saying it over and over again, but I mean it from the fiber of my being that I didn’t know this was possible for me again,” Duff told the cheering crowd.

They rarely stopped screaming and showed up in full Y2K teen glam. There were “Lizzie McGuire”-inspired butterfly clips and boas, microphone headsets, pink and orange everywhere. There were even fans dressed as Duff’s “Cadet Kelly” character and Isabella Parigi from “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.”

Duff released “Luck … or Something,” her first album in more than a decade, in February. It’s self-aware and sunny synth-pop that has been received warmly by fans and critics.

“I took such a long break from this part of my life. I just didn’t know what I was going to be met with – and I was met with you,” Duff said, her face welling up with emotion.

“We spent a lot of decades together. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here right now.”

The setlist was a balance of teen favorites and new songs, and it worked beautifully as an extension of Duff herself. At 38 years old, she’s at ease with where she’s been. It gave a deeper resonance to older songs “So Yesterday” and “Breathe In. Breathe Out.”

“Why Not,” one of Duff’s early singles, was a perfect example. It’s an unabashedly bubblegum bit of pop-rock – “You cannot be cool during this song. It’s against the law!” But Duff honored it with a grounded, genuine reclamation of its message.

“When I sing it now, I’m just like, ‘Do the thing you wanna do, talk to the person you wanna talk to, take that wild chance and don’t be afraid to fall flat on your face.’ We never get to stop growing and learning,” she said.

A rush of emotion swept over her face as she sang, and it segued perfectly into “Adult Size Medium,” a new song about reflecting on her past and not recognizing that person. (“The twenty year old me is still in here … Sometimes I can’t see me in it.”)

Much of the 95-minute show, in fact, was an affecting study in contrasts. She kicked off “Future Tripping” by playfully drawing the iconic Disney Channel wand logo in the air, then tossing it into the crowd. She twice repeated the localized “Play With Fire” lyric — “I don’t have time for this/I’m off to play in Houston!” Duff invited several fans onstage to recreate the viral “With Love” dance, and she powered through “Beat of My Heart” with pure joy.

Duff was backed by a sharp five-piece band – the end. No chorus of background singers or army of dancers. No moving set pieces or aerial stunts. That sense of focus prioritized her connection with the audience. There were just a few costume changes, from baggy jeans and a Hannah Montana T-shirt to sleek gowns.

The final run of songs – “Come Clean,” “Mature” and the “Lizzie McGuire” anthem “What Dreams Are Made Of” – were a blast of euphoria that crystallized Duff’s message. It was glowing off her, the comfort that only comes with age, experience and the ability to understand and accept all the parts that make you who you are.

The word ‘healing’ keeps getting thrown around on the internet. It’s totally being reciprocated by me. This is such a healing moment for me,” she said. “I feel so seen and so loved, and it’s made me be able to go back and celebrate the old stuff. I guess I’m trying to say that I’m 100% honored to be able to soundtrack any portion of your life.”