William Shatner will debut new metal band at Riot Fest -- DeLorean and puppies required
Published in Entertainment News
CHICAGO — Metal, the final frontier. Joining the musical lineup at Riot Fest in September is the debut of William Shatner’s new heavy metal band The *Uckers.
The band will be added to the bill on Sunday and will feature, along with Shatner, guitarists Marcus Nand (Mike Tramp, Candice Night) and Britt Lightning (Vixen, Cactus), bassist Phil Soussan (Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol) and Fred Aching (Kings of Thrash, Dead Groove, Fraxures) on drums.
Riot Fest will be the first time the group has played out live, and is timed with an upcoming album on Cleopatra Records. According to an announcement, “the performance will reimagine songs from across Shatner’s musical catalog while previewing material from his forthcoming heavy metal album.”
Shatner, 95, has experimented widely with film, music and other pursuits since his famous run at the helm of “Star Trek.”
“I’ve always believed that music, like space, is about exploration,” he said in a statement. “Riot Fest is exactly the kind of place where anything can happen. We’re bringing volume, intensity and a few surprises. I can’t wait to share this experience with the fans.”
Now about that rider …
Following the news Thursday morning that Captain Kirk has a new career as a nonagenarian headbanger, on Thursday afternoon, it got weird. A follow-up announcement from Riot Fest disclosed that Shatner’s contract demands for the festival include:
—A dressing room themed as “Shatner’s Shag Shack.”
—4 feet of Polish sausage and a bowl of sauerkraut.
—An “assortment of playful puppies.”
—His golf cart replaced by a DeLorean.
—A Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater signed by John Stamos.
—A prominently displayed billboard with his face “and the face of one lucky fan.”
“Full House” alum John Stamos famously answered a longtime appeal from festival founder Mike “Riot Mike” Petryshyn last year to appear in concert with the Beach Boys. Riot Fest confirmed it would take responsibility for the list, but it doesn’t end there. The festival also requested help “from the Chicagoland community” in supplying:
—A boat renamed in Shatner’s honor “so he can captain a ship again.”
—A classic Chicago food item named in tribute.
—An invitation to sing “Take Me out to the Ball Game” at a Chicago baseball game.
Riot Fest, running Sept. 18-20 in Chicago’s Douglass Park (1401 S. Sacramento Drive), previously announced its 2026 lineup in June, with Twenty One Pilots and Iggy Pop headlining on Friday, Tool and Morrissey on Saturday, and Pierce the Veil and Alanis Morissette on Sunday.
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