William Shatner, aged 95, made his live heavy-metal debut at a warm-up show in Chicago with his newly formed band, The *uckers. The performance matters because it marks an unexpected new musical chapter for the Star Trek actor, who is preparing to release a metal album and perform at Riot Fest.

The six-song set included covers of Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’, Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ and Motörhead’s ‘Ace Of Spades’, alongside three original songs from What The F Is Heavy Metal?. The band includes guitarist Marcus Nand, Vixen’s Britt Lightning, bassist Phil Soussan and drummer Fred Aching, while the album is expected to feature guests including Brian May, Tony Iommi, Rob Halford and Dave Lombardo; a reported Coachella 2027 appearance remains unconfirmed.