Here are things we love about Kelly Clarkson, inspired by her Thursday concert at Mohegan Sun Arena, the first of two nights of shows there.

Duh, that voice! Boy, can Clarkson blow. This, we know. But her real superpower might be her versatility. On Thursday, she showcased her force-of-nature vocal power on songs like “Whole Lotta Woman,” a boisterous, old-school blues-rock romp. But then she was also able to finesse two ballads about loss, “It’s Quiet Uptown” from “Hamilton” and “Piece by Piece,” with restrained but heartbreaking emotion. Over the years, she has slipped into different genres but has somehow always sounded at home. (Her latest release, 2017’s excellent “Meaning of Life,” gave the one-time pop princess her long-desired chance to go into a decidedly R&B direction.) At the Sun, she eased from an a cappella version of the stately power ballad “A Moment Like This” into the soulful sway of “Meaning of Life” and then into the light-rock sprightliness of “Walk Away.” It all felt effortless.

Anthems R Us: If you’re going to get an arena full of people singing and dancing, you’d darn well better have some fist-pumping anthems. Clarkson has her share, and the most impactful in concert were “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” “Since U Been Gone” and “My Life Would Suck Without You.”

It’s in the attitude: Clarkson is a winning personality, exuding a down-to-earth aura and an often-self-effacing sense of humor. A lot of stars develop a protective shield, but Clarkson seems to be entirely and authentically herself at all times. She joked Thursday about how much she was sweating and said it was a little too early for her to be going through “the change.” (By the way, any sweat seemed barely visible to the average concert-goer.) Her belt popped off when she leaned over to touch hands with audience members; she picked up and nonchalantly tossed the belt to a different part of the stage and later made fun of the incident.

Never at a loss for words: One of the big jokes on “The Voice,” where she has coached the past two seasons, is that Clarkson talks. A. Lot. In concert, that off-the-cuff loquaciousness comes in handy, producing between-song chatter that feels organic. Clarkson said that, while singing “Piece by Piece” — which is about her father leaving the family when Clarkson was a child and the emotional damage that caused her — all she could focus on was an adorable youngster in the crowd who was wearing a “Team Kelly” shirt and singing along to every word. Clarkson started getting teary and acknowledged that she cries a lot; she laughed, “There’s something emotionally wrong with me.”

Splashy production numbers? What splashy production numbers? Every superstar concert these days tends to be overrun by acrobatic dancers, wild costumes and eye-popping stage sets. In other words: very Vegas. Clarkson, God bless her, went old-school. This isn’t to say she and her top-notch band weren’t dressed to the nines, but that this was A Concert. The focus was squarely on the music.

Speaking of being dressed to the nines: Clarkson looked fab. Her ensembles were both sophisticated and stage-worthy; they included a cherry-red top with sleeves that draped all the way to the floor, creating quite the dramatic effect, and a fringed black dress that was all about its movement. My favorite, though, was a glittering black dress with an A-line skirt, worn over matching leggings and boots that were so platformed and high-heeled that they might have made even Lady Gaga nervous. (Clarkson later went barefoot, all the better to pogo along to her more danceable tunes.)

She’s a great mama bear to her “Voice” protegees: Clarkson is only two seasons into her gig as a coach on “The Voice,” but she’s already giving opportunities to the singers she has mentored on the show. Brynn Cartelli, who won season 14, nabbed one of the opening-act slots on this tour. Cartelli, who is one month shy of turning 16, sounded splendid, the smoky tone of her voice even more impressive in concert than on TV. (Cartelli, who is from Longmeadow, Mass., noted that one of the first concerts she went to was an Ariana Grande gig about five years ago at Mohegan Sun; Cartelli sat at the far end of the arena, in the upper tier, and marveled at how she was now performing in the very same venue.) During her own set, Clarkson brought Cartelli back onstage to team up for “Miss Independent” with fellow opener Maggie Rose. As if that weren’t enough, Clarkson also dueted with former “Voice” contestant D.R. King, who sang back-up all night, on “Run Run Run,” and she brought out Windsor, Connecticut native Kymberli Joye for a showstopping version of “You Say.” Clarkson raved about Joye’s “unreal” talent — and she really raved; this was not just lip service.

A nit to pick: I will say that the middle of the concert could have used some more uptempo tunes. But otherwise? What a night.