DistantNews
Support us
At 95, William Shatner to debut with his heavy metal band: 'There will be volume, intensity, and some surprises'
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

At 95, William Shatner to debut with his heavy metal band: 'There will be volume, intensity, and some surprises'

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified New plan
  • At 95 years old, actor William Shatner will debut with his heavy metal band, The *uckers, at the Riot Fest in Chicago.
  • Shatner's participation in the festival comes after 17 years of persistent invitations from the organizers.
  • The festival has humorously announced extravagant demands for Shatner's performance, including renaming a ship and creating a local dish in his honor.

William Shatner, the iconic actor known for portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, is set to make an unconventional debut at the age of 95. He will perform with his heavy metal band, The *uckers, for the first time live at Riot Fest, one of the United States' prominent rock festivals, on September 20 in Chicago's Douglass Park.

After 17 years of writing letters... Riot Fest 2026: now with 100% more William Shatner.

— Riot FestThe festival's humorous announcement of William Shatner's participation.

This appearance marks the culmination of a 17-year pursuit by Riot Fest organizers, who had made inviting Shatner a running gag and a recurring campaign element for the festival. After years of humorous and increasingly extravagant attempts to capture the Canadian actor's attention, Shatner finally accepted the proposal in 2026. The festival humorously celebrated the news on Instagram, stating, "After 17 years of writing letters... Riot Fest 2026: now with 100% more William Shatner."

Festival founder Mike “Riot Mike” Petryshyn shared his amusement, noting, "After years of insisting, and probably being quite annoying, for him to perform at Riot Fest, it seems he finally caved." He also joked about Shatner's contract demands, which were released in a satirical manner. These supposed demands included outlandish requests directed at the city of Chicago, such as renaming a ship in Shatner's honor, creating a local dish named after him, having him sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at a baseball game, and making him a guest weather presenter.

After years of insisting, and probably being quite annoying, for him to perform at Riot Fest, it seems he finally caved.

— Mike “Riot Mike” PetryshynFestival founder's reaction to William Shatner's acceptance.

The festival itself was not spared from the satirical "rider." The fictional contract specified the stage should feature "lots of flamethrowers," a video introduction by the band GWAR, and replacing the usual artist golf cart with a DeLorean, the car from "Back to the Future." Even the dressing room demands were part of the joke, requesting it be styled as "Shatner’s Shag Shack" and include over a meter of Polish sausage, a large bowl of sauerkraut, a signed Montreal Canadiens jersey from John Stamos, eight pallets of soda, underwear, white socks, and "an assortment of adoptable puppies."

I'm looking forward to seeing Shatner bring out his heavier side. Although, honestly, I wasn't prepared to read his contract demands.

— Mike “Riot Mike” PetryshynJoking about the actor's contract demands.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog