William Shatner’s New Metal Band To Play Riot Fest 2026 / Rider Demands 4ft Polish Sausage & Faygo
The 95-year-old wants a billboard, fire breathers, a DMC 12 & sauerkraut to debut the project in Chicago
William Shatner has a brand new metal band, and they’ve scheduled their debut for Riot Fest in Chicago. The announcement is accompanied by an absurdist artist rider wherein the 95-year-old requests that a boat be named after him, that his face appear on a billboard, an intro video be created by GWAR, 8 pallets of Faygo (not to be shared with Insane Clown Posse), and 4 feet of Polish sausage, among other demands.
Best known for his role as Starfleet Captain James T. Kirk, playing a man on a commercial airline terrorized by a gremlin in a Twilight Zone episode, and having his officially licensed Halloween mask altered to create the face of Michael Myers, Shatner has a musical resume that might surprise some people.
In 1968, the actor released the album The Transformed Man, during his time on Star Trek. It was an unorthodox effort featuring tracks split between recitations of Shakespearean monologues over backing music and spoken word-style covers of songs like “Mr Tambourine Man” and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” The release would go on to be referenced as a misguided step in popular culture, but through later roles on 3rd Rock From The Sun and Miss Congenitality, the Rescue 911 host exhibited his comedic chops, proving he wasn’t one to take himself too seriously.
In 2004, Ben Folds produced William‘s return to music. The album, Has Been, yielded Shatner‘s inspired cover of Pulp‘s “Common People,” and included features by such names as Henry Rollins, Lemon Jelly, Joe Jackson, Matt Chamberlain, and Aimee Mann.
The collection of sci-fi themed covers, Seeking Major Tom, arrived in 2011, and found the TJ Hooker star supported by an eclectic roster of artists including Ritchie Blackmore, Toots Hibbert, Sheryl Crow, Warren Haynes, Bootsy Collins, Steve Hillage (Gong), Dave Davies, and Zakk Wylde. This was followed by Ponder The Mystery Revisited (2013) with contributions from legends like George Duke, Steve Vai, Nik Turner (Hawkwind), Vince Gill, Robby Krieger, Rick Wakeman, and AL Di Meola
Shatner‘s new metal project goes by the name ‘The *uckers‘ and includes veterans like Vixen guitarist, Britt Lightning, and bassist, Phil Soussan, known for his work with Billy Idol and Ozzy Osbourne, for whom he wrote “Shot In The Dark.”
Single-day and multi-day tickets are currently on sale through the festival website with GA, VIP, Deluxe, and Deluxe+options available. Beyond the music, Riot Fest promises a “full weekend experience with carnival rides, games, unique food vendors, and plenty of surprises around every corner.“
Tickets and additional information can be found at riotfest.org.
