It probably goes without saying that Kuti and Egypt 80 were making their Houston debut, and we are unlikely to see them come back for a good long while. On the other hand, the Texas Tornados, who closed out my evening on the Americas stage, will probably be back within the year. I hope so.

Even so, it's hard to think of the Tornados as the same good-time San Antonio party band they used to be, because they have endured so much loss -- losing first Doug Sahm, and then Freddy Fender. The other two, Augie Meyers and Flaco Jimenez, have weathered their share of health issues in recent years themselves, and in fact Jimenez was looking especially frail Sunday (if not sounding frail on old polka standby "In Heaven There Is No Beer").

But the Tornados give off the air that they will keep playing that Tex-Mex rock and roll until one of them keels over onstage. It doesn't matter if it's Shawn Sahm singing his dad's chugging "Is Anybody Going to San Antone" or "Adios Mexico," Jimenez's vocalist/apprentice Nuni Rubio taking over for Fender on the lovely "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," because the Tornados' music is now bigger than even the band members themselves.

That includes their supporting cast of Speedy Sparks, Louie Ortega and Ernie Durawa, three of the most underrated musicians in Texas history, except by their peers. So as long as Augie Meyers is still alive to sing dirty songs about Mexican food, he'll be making guacamole all night long.

Personal Bias: I like Houston, and I like festivals, as long as they don't annoy the shit out of the cranky old man in me that has been amplified by my recent heart attack. I used Sunday to test my pre-Summer Fest tolerance for outdoor music jags, and almost made it. It would have been nice to see Steel Pulse again, but they'll be back, probably at the next iFest or two.

The Crowd: However cool the music may be at iFest from year to year, the coolest thing about the festival will always be the crowds. Houston has very few events -- yes, even Summer Fest -- that really reflect what a diverse, cosmopolitan city this is.

Overheard in the Crowd: Nothing interesting, but I saw a lot of people wearing baby-blue Argentina soccer football jerseys.

Random Notebook Dump: E-mail me if you want to know Bruce Springsteen's approximate asking price to come play your festival.