95-year-old “Star Trek” legend William Shatner performed live with his newly formed heavy metal band, THE *UCKERS, for the first time Saturday night (September 19) at the Riot Fest aftershow at Park West in Chicago, Illinois. The gig served as the warm-up for his main Riot Fest festival appearance at Douglass Park the following evening.

THE *UCKERS feature an all-star lineup of veteran rock musicians, including Marcus Nand (who has worked with Mike Tramp and Candice Night) on guitar and as musical director, Phil Soussan on bass, Britt Lightning (VIXEN) on guitar and Fred Aching (KINGS OF THRASH, DEAD GROOVE) on drums. The performance reimagines songs from throughout Shatner‘s musical catalog while also previewing material from his upcoming rock/metal album “What The F Is Heavy Metal?”.

Fan-filmed video of the Park West performance, which included renditions of Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Crazy Train”, MOTÖRHEAD‘s “Ace Of Spades” and METALLICA‘s “Enter Sandman”, can be seen below.

Prior to Saturday night’s show, Soussan said: “I’m excited to play with one my childhood heroes. I was a huge ‘Star Trek’ fan, so this is kind of a bucket list type of event.”

Shatner said on social media: “I have explored space. I have explored time. Now … I explore distortion.”

The organizers of Riot Fest said they managed to persuade Shatner to join the festival “after years of persistent letter writing,” according to a July announcement on the Riot Fest web site.

In a video shared on social media, Shatner laid out some conditions for his performance at the Riot Fest, telling the organizers, “Don’t forget my bowl of sauerkraut, if you please!” His rider also included “Fire breathers. Many of them,” a Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater signed by John Stamos, four feet of Polish sausage and an assortment of adoptable puppies sourced from a reputable local animal rescue nonprofit, according to Riot Fest.

Earlier this month, Shatner revealed to “The Moynihan Report” that the title of his upcoming heavy metal album, came directly from his initial reaction when his longtime record label, Cleopatra Records, suggested that he make a heavy metal record.

“Cleopatra, the label that I work with frequently, said to me, ‘Why don’t you do a heavy metal album?’ And I said, ‘What the F is heavy metal?’ Then I heard ‘Patience’, the song ‘Patience’ [by GUNS N’ ROSES]. So we write a song called ‘Impatience’,” Shatner shared.

Shatner went on to say that he approached the making of his heavy metal album from the perspective of a curious newcomer.

“You gotta start with the premise that I really know nothing,” he explained. “I’m inquisitive. Apparently, I’m inquisitive, and I’m reading and looking up all the time, stuff. So I began to experiment. I fastened on to emotions. I thought heavy metal has gotta be about emotions — violent, passionate… Not violent — passionate emotions.”

Guest musicians set to appear on “What The F Is Heavy Metal?” include QUEEN guitarist Brian May, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer and former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo.

Shatner had previously recorded several albums going back to 1968 that include spoken-word and dramatic readings, blues, rock and kids songs, featuring collaborations with BEN FOLDS, Brad Paisley and Iggy Pop.

The original “Star Trek” series spawned a feature film franchise where Shatner returned as Captain Kirk in seven of the “Star Trek” movies, one of which he directed.

In 2023, Shatner was diagnosed with Stage 4 malignant melanoma. The cancer spread to his lungs and brain, but after two years of immunotherapy and surgery, he is cancer free.

During an interview with CNN anchor Elex Michaelson in July, Shatner also said he would be playing a half-hour set at a music festival “in the desert” in spring 2027, which Michaelson confirmed to be Coachella. Coachella has not yet released its official list of performers for the April 2027 event.