William Shatner Takes His Career in a Wild New Direction
The 95-year-old Star Trek veteran played three covers and three originals in a 35-minute set to promote his upcoming album.
- On Sunday, Sept. 20, William Shatner debuted his heavy metal band, The *uckers, at Chicago's Riot Fest, performing a 35-minute set on the Rebel Stage despite muddy conditions and a three-hour rain delay.
- This performance followed a warm-up show at Chicago's 1,000-capacity Park West venue on Saturday, where Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera described the project as a "real rock show" rather than a novelty act.
- Shatner's backing band featured guitarist Marcus Nand and bassist Phil Soussan, covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," Metallica's "Enter Sandman," and Motörhead's "Ace of Spades" alongside three original songs.
- Shatner announced at the festival that his debut album, "What the F Is Heavy Metal," releases this winter, reportedly featuring guest appearances from Brian May and Tony Iommi.
- The actor plans a 30-minute set at Coachella in spring 2027, with his daughter Melanie Shatner Gretsch confirming the desert destination during a July CNN interview with anchor Elex Michaelson.
28 Articles
28 Articles
William Shatner Takes His Career in a Wild New Direction
William Shatner has taken his career in a loud new direction. The Star Trek icon made his live heavy metal debut in Chicago with his new band, The *uckers. His set included covers of Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and Motörhead. The unexpected move came as Shatner, 95, remained active across music and acting. His latest career […]
ACTOR William Shatner made his debut on the metal scene with the band The *uckers. At a concert in Chicago, he performed covers of classics and original songs from his upcoming album "What The F Is Heavy Metal?".
Former Captain Kirk actually went into space at the age of 90, now he's trying to get the metal prose up and running.
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