Of all Madonna's 8 tours, the essential La Isla Bonita, has appeared on 5 - in completely different incarnations. There hasn't been one performance of this song on any of her tours that I haven't appreciated. The 50's Americana version on Who's that Girl (1987), The Busby Berkeley Hollywood Musical version on The Girlie Show (1993), The Intimate Ranchero version on Drowned World Tour (2001), The discofied Abba-wishes version on Confessions (2006) and The Traveling Carnival Gypsy version on Sticky and Sweet (2008). All have their own vibe with one of the greatest songs she has ever recorded.
The passion and energy of The Girlie Show version has a very special place in Madonna tour history. Invoking all her muses from the dance, music, art, and Hollywood worlds, here Madonna hits a peak performance wise. From her Blond Ambiton tour 3 years earlier, where she upped the ante of rock shows and how they were presented, with The Girlie Show she fine tuned the art of performance and brings all her worlds together in a bombastic flamboyance that left (and still does) all her contemporaries eating her dust. You will find elements of The Girlie Show in every rock show after this - till date. The show woman had grown and matured even further leaving her long time detractors fumbling around desperate to find new ways to state she will be over.
