At 95, William Shatner is boldly going where few nonagenarians, let alone Starfleet captains, have gone before: the Coachella stage, fronting a heavy metal band. And it seems the “Star Trek” icon has accidentally beamed the news out ahead of schedule.
During a recent CNN appearance alongside his daughter Melanie Shatner Gretsch, Shatner let slip that he and his new metal outfit, The *uckers, are booked for the 2027 edition of the California festival, a slot that hasn’t been officially announced. Talking about his late-career plunge into the genre, he explained his approach in typically theatrical fashion:
“It isn’t so much, ‘When do I come in?’, but I’ve got to feel the music and then come in with the lyrics. It’s all about passion.” He then referenced the band’s upcoming Riot Fest slot before mentioning they’d also be playing “the one in the desert” next spring, at which point Melanie confirmed he meant Coachella. For now, neither the festival’s organizers nor Shatner‘s camp has officially confirmed the booking, so the appearance remains, technically, an unannounced tease.
The Coachella chatter is the latest twist in what has become one of the more improbable projects in metal. Shatner has been at work on a heavy metal record titled What The F Is Heavy Metal, and he hasn’t skimped on the talent, enlisting an array of rock and metal royalty, including members of Judas Priest, Black Label Society and Scorpions, with Rob Halford among those lending a hand. As for that eyebrow-raising album title, Shatner offered a characteristically self-deprecating explanation: “That’s the name of the album because I know nothing or didn’t know anything until I found out how little I do know.”
Before any desert booking materializes, fans will get their first taste of the project on September 20, when The *uckers make their live debut at Riot Fest in Chicago’s Douglass Park. Backing Shatner on stage is a seasoned lineup of players: guitarist and musical director Marcus Nand, Vixen guitarist Britt Lightning, bassist Phil Soussan (a Billy Idol and former Ozzy Osbourne collaborator), and drummer Fred Aching. The set is expected to run heavy, metal-fied versions of songs from Shatner‘s catalog alongside previews of the new album.
True to form, Shatner is treating the whole thing as an adventure. “I’ve always believed that music, like space, is about exploration,” he said of the Riot Fest debut. “Riot Fest is exactly the kind of place where anything can happen. We’re bringing volume, intensity, and a few surprises. With this incredible band behind me, I expect nothing less than lift-off. I can’t wait to share this experience with the fans.”
He’s also promised fans on social media that “this is an event you definitely will be telling your grandchildren about,” a claim his gloriously absurd stage rider only reinforces, reportedly demanding an intro film from GWAR, a fleet of fire-breathers, a DeLorean to ferry him to the stage, four feet of Polish sausage, and a selection of adoptable puppies backstage.
Should the Coachella slot come to pass, Shatner will be 96 by the time the festival rolls around. The 2027 edition returns to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California across two weekends, running April 9–11 and April 16–18.
