Watch The Killers UNSTAGED, directed by Werner Herzog

Today at 4 pm PT, YouTube brings you the next installment of the American Express UNSTAGED concert series, in partnership with VEVO. This may be the most experimental UNSTAGED pairing yet: The Killers’ show will be helmed by German avant garde director Werner Herzog. You can watch the whole thing live on youtube.com/thekillersVEVO at 4pm PT, followed by an immediate rebroadcast.



In 2003, The Killers were an anomaly: a rock band from Las Vegas who played rock’n’roll like Brits. They didn’t fit into Vegas’ nu-metal-obsessed scene, and they couldn’t seem to grab the attention of any labels stateside. Then the band got picked up by England’s Lizard King Records...and suddenly the U.S. started to perk up its ears. After their debut single “Mr. Brightside” began to hit the airwaves, they signed with Island Def Jam, and the rest is history. A slew of hit singles followed, and pretty soon bands like Coldplay and U2 counted themselves as fans. Their albums began selling like proverbial hotcakes.



They also established their strong video aesthetic right out of the gate, dropping the lush, Moulin Rouge-esque video for “Mr. Brightside.” The piece resonated, billowing with a big storyline and sumptuous burlesque visuals. It deserved -- and won -- a VMA in 2005, and the band went on to make a bevy of videos that inhabit an American West which is both a comedic and an uneasy place: “For Reasons Unknown,” “All These Things,” and “Human.” But these guys aren’t just serious: for every mini-film like “When You Were Young” or “Boots,” they’ve got a poker-faced, antics-laced offering like “Read My Mind.”



To pair such visually gifted musicians with Werner Herzog is nothing short of inspired. Herzog is an iconoclast of the first order, a German director whose work compels, fascinates, and alienates in equal measure. Herzog is drawn to the margins, outliers and extremes whether in his fiction or documentary offerings. His output is so varied we can’t list it all here, but you can get a taste of his style with films like Grizzly Man, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and Into The Abyss -- or with this recent interview.



We’re thrilled to present to you such a potent, creative combination. Be sure to tune in today for what may be the show of a lifetime.

Sarah Bardeen, music community manager, recently watched “Battle Born Studio Tour.”