Watch Coldplay’s UNSTAGED performance live today

Coldplay. Performing live. In a bullfighting ring. In Madrid, Spain.

It might sound like a dream, but it’s not. It’s happening today, and thanks to American Express UNSTAGED in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, you get to watch it as it happens at youtube.com/ColdplayVEVO, starting at 1 pm PT. This is the first time UNSTAGED series has streamed from an international venue, and fans from Argentina to Zimbabwe will be able to tune in and watch.

Coldplay is one of the world’s most successful bands. They started out as a college duo in 1996, saddled with the unpromising name Pectoralz (which they later changed to Starfish before settling on Coldplay). The group was initially influenced by bands like Travis, but as they added members they found their own sound, one which quickly earned them a label deal and radio play on BBC 1 (as well as comparisons to U2). Their first radio hit, “Shiver,” showcased the band’s ringing guitars and Chris Martin’s nimble falsetto.

The band has an uncanny knack for crafting songs that feel both momentous and intimate, as if Martin is crooning his innermost feelings to you while the band translates those feelings into swelling rock orchestration. Coldplay’s songs are often deceptively simple -- they have been called “hypnotic” by more than one reviewer -- but they frequently induce a palpable sense of catharsis, building and then dissipating tension. Nowhere was this more evident than in their 2008 single “Viva La Vida.”

In tandem with their incredible successes -- seven Grammys, six Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards and over 50 million albums sold -- the group has remained true to their core ideals. They’ve consistently refused to license their music for advertisements, and they continue to donate 10% of the band’s profits to charity.

If that’s not enough to make you a fan, watch them live today and get converted. And if you miss the live show, be sure to tune into the broadcast, which will begin at 3 pm PT and continue on the channel for 10 hours.