William Shatner made his first live appearance with The *uckers on Saturday 19 September 2026, the heavy metal outfit he built around his new album. The show took place at Park West in Chicago, at the Riot Fest aftershow, one day before the 95-year-old actor’s scheduled appearance at the main festival, in Douglass Park — and it was the first time audiences saw him on stage with a band.
The set drew on the biggest names in the field: Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train”, Motörhead’s “Ace Of Spades” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. Fan footage from the night is available.
Playing alongside him are seasoned musicians: Marcus Nand on guitar and musical direction, who has worked with Mike Tramp and Candice Night, Phil Soussan on bass, Vixen guitarist Britt Lightning and Fred Aching of Kings of Thrash and Dead Groove on drums.
The appearance is part of a bigger plan. The album “What The F Is Heavy Metal?” comes from Cleopatra Records and combines reworked material from his earlier catalogue with new songs, written out of his engagement with the genre. The title came from his first reaction when the label proposed he make a metal record, and the guest list includes names like Brian May, Tony Iommi, Rob Halford, John Moyer and Dave Lombardo.
Riot Fest had chased Shatner for years: the organisers said in July that they finally pulled it off after “years of persistent letters”. What started as a joke idea now has a band, a stage and a record on the way.
See also: William Shatner: “What the F Is Heavy Metal?” | Hollywood Vampires – The new live single “Ace Of Spades”
