William Shatner, 95, is set to make his heavy metal debut with his band, The *uckers, at Riot Fest 2026 in Chicago. The festival announced the "Star Trek" actor's appearance on Thursday, confirming it will be the band's first live performance. Shatner revealed his intention to debut his heavy metal record at the festival in a video shared by Riot Fest, stating, "I hope that you’re there — and I hope I’m there." The actor is scheduled to appear on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Chicago's Douglass Park.
Riot Fest also shared Shatner's eccentric rider, which included requests such as renaming a boat in his honor so he "can captain a ship again," "fire breathers. Many of them," a "classic Chicago food item" named after him, and that his golf cart should be "replaced by a DeLorean." Other demands included "four feet of Polish sausage," a single pair of white tube socks and white underwear, and for his dressing room to be themed "Shatner's Shag Shack."
The festival appearance comes months after Shatner publicly refuted claims that he was dying of cancer, which were circulated by a Facebook group using AI-generated images. In April, Shatner described the posts as "horrible fake news stories" that were monetized and stated that Facebook had not removed the page despite his requests. He advised followers to "take it with a grain of salt" unless information is seen on his verified accounts.
Shatner's foray into heavy metal follows other actors venturing into music. Earlier this year, 88-year-old Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins announced the release of his classical music album "Life is a Dream."