William Shatner is set to make his live heavy metal debut later this year when he performs with new band The *uckers at Riot Fest in Chicago.
The Star Trek actor will take the stage at Douglass Park on Sept. 20 as part of the annual music festival. The performance will mark the 95-year-old’s first live appearance with the heavy metal group.
In a statement, Shatner said he has always believed that music, like space, is about exploring new ideas and called Riot Fest the perfect place for an unexpected performance.
Shatner also shared his excitement on Instagram, telling followers the concert would be something they would remember for years to come.
The band features Marcus Nand, Fred Aching, Britt Lightning and Phil Soussan and will perform new heavy metal versions of songs from Shatner’s past work while also introducing tracks from its upcoming album, What the F Is Heavy Metal, People has reported.
Riot Fest founder Mike Petryshyn joked that he had spent years trying to convince Shatner to perform at the festival and said he was excited to finally see the actor embrace heavy metal.
This year’s Riot Fest lineup also includes Morrissey, Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols, Twenty One Pilots and Patti Smith.
Shatner remains one of Hollywood’s most recognisable stars and made headlines in 2021 when he became the oldest person to travel to space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin New Shepard rocket at the age of 90.
