At 95, William Shatner has found another frontier to explore, and this one comes with considerably more distortion.
The Star Trek legend made his live heavy metal debut Saturday night at Chicago’s Park West, taking the stage with his new band, the *uckers, for a warm-up performance ahead of an appearance at Riot Fest.
Shatner and the group delivered a six-song set that combined new material with some of the most recognizable songs in heavy music.
Among the classics getting the Shatner treatment were Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades.”
The other three songs offered a preview of Shatner’s upcoming heavy metal album, What the F Is Heavy Metal?
Heavy metal might seem like an unexpected destination for an actor forever associated with commanding the USS Enterprise, but unexpected musical turns have practically become part of Shatner’s job description.
His recording career has stretched across decades and wandered through spoken word, country, blues, holiday music and other styles. Now he is adding metal to the list.
And he is not entering the genre quietly.
The upcoming album brings Shatner together with an impressive roster of rock and metal veterans. Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Brian May of Queen, Rob Halford of Judas Priest and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo are among the musicians connected to the project.
Shatner has also made clear that his interest in heavy metal goes beyond simply adding another unusual entry to his résumé. He has spoken enthusiastically about discovering the physical energy and intensity of the music and experiencing why the genre inspires such devotion among its fans.
That enthusiasm finally moved from the studio to the stage in Chicago.
For a performer whose career has already stretched from television and movies to spoken-word records and an actual trip to space, fronting a metal band might somehow qualify as a logical next move.
Captain Kirk has officially entered his heavy metal era.
