"I've explored space. I've explored time. Now... I'm going to explore distortion pedals." That's what 95-year-old William Shatner posted on social media before the show — and it turned out to be a more accurate description of what was coming than any press release could offer. The actor, famous for playing Captain Kirk on "Star Trek" for over half a century, took the stage at Chicago's Park West on the night of September 19 and sang heavy metal.
The show served as a warm-up ahead of his official Riot Fest set the following day, September 20, at Douglass Park. Shatner and his newly formed band, The *uckers, performed six songs, three of which were weighty covers — Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," Metallica's "Enter Sandman," and Motörhead's "Ace Of Spades." The other three were original tracks from his upcoming heavy metal album, "What The F Is Heavy Metal?"
The *uckers' lineup reads like a who's-who of the metal world: guitarist and musical director Marcus Nand, Vixen guitarist Britt Lightning, bassist Phil Soussan — who has previously worked with Ozzy Osbourne — and drummer Fred Aching. The album's guest list is equally staggering, featuring Queen's Brian May, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, Disturbed bassist John Moyer, and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo.
Even before the music itself, Shatner's Riot Fest backstage rider — revealed earlier this summer — had already sparked buzz: he reportedly requested "many" fire performers, a DeLorean to drive him onstage, a four-foot-long Polish sausage, a batch of adoptable puppies, an opening video produced by GWAR, eight pallets of Faygo soda, and a Montreal Canadiens hockey jersey signed by John Stamos.
After the band's 40-minute Riot Fest set, it seems their stage career is far from over. Last month, during a CNN interview, Shatner appeared to accidentally reveal that the band had already been booked for a 30-minute set next spring at "that festival out in the desert." His daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, later confirmed he was referring to Coachella 2027. As of now, however, Coachella has yet to officially announce its 2027 lineup, so the desert performance remains unconfirmed.
