William Shatner hasn’t even released his anticipated debut heavy metal album, but the Star Trek legend is already acting like a major rock star. “So now that my appearance in Chicago at @RiotFest
is known I want to start acting like the Heavy Metal Rock God that I am. So… I have a few demand…err…requests for Chicago,” Shatner, 95, wrote on X on Thursday (July 16) in announcing the upcoming live debut of his metal band The *uckers.
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Wondering if he should share his very detailed backstage rider request with the Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, or Illinois Gov. J.D. Pritzker, the TV legend warned that there was “nothing unreasonable” in the list of demands as far as he was concerned, telling organizers they have a few months to get their act together.
What are his requirements?
- Chicago naming a boat in Shatner’s honor
- A billboard featuring Shatner and a fan
- Food named after Shatner
- An opportunity to do the weather report with long-time Chicago-based meteorologist Tom Skilling
- Shatner singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at a Chicago baseball game
- Fire breathers. Many of them.
- An intro video created by GWAR
- Artist golf cart shall be replaced by a DeLorean
- Dressing room shall be themes as “Shatner’s Shag Shack” to artists specifications
- Four feet of polish sausage
- One (1) Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater signed by John Stamos
- Eight (8) pallets of Faygo (Not to be shared with Insane Clown Posse)
- One (1) pair of white tube socks and one (1) pair of underwear
- An assortment of adoptable puppies, sourced from a reputable local animal rescue nonprofit
- One (1) bowl of sauerkraut in dressing room, ready to eat
- A bouquet of flowers in a vase (you know, something sweet, something dainty)
Shatner will make his live metal debut at the festival, which will take place in Chicago’s Douglass Park from Sept. 18-20 on a bill that also includes Twenty One Pilots, Iggy Pop, Pixies, Tool, Morrissey, Nas, Pierce the Veil, Alanis Morissette, Twin Peaks and many more. In a statement, Shatner said, “I’ve always believed that music, like space, is about exploration. Riot Fest is exactly the kind of place where anything can happen. We’re bringing volume, intensity, and a few surprises. I can’t wait to share this experience with the fans.”
Riot Fest co-founder Mike “Riot Mike” Petryshyn revealed that the Shatner booking came after many long years of “persistently — and perhaps annoyingly — writing letters to William Shatner about performing at Riot Fest, it appears that he was finally compelled. I for one cannot wait to see Shatner get heavy. But that Shatner Rider… wasn’t expecting that today.”
When a fan awarded Shatner 10 points for his GWAR request and five more for just mentioning ICP, the TV and screen legend responded in kind, writing, “ICP gets all grabby & territorial. @faygo
needs to make sure those pallets get delivered to the Shat Shag Shack with no detours!”
Shatner’s upcoming metal debut on Cleopatra Records will feature covers of songs by Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and some original songs featuring a variety of real-world metal icons. “Thirty-five metal virtuosos. Thunderous guitars. Chaos with purpose. Covers of legends like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest — and a few originals forged in the same cosmic fire,” Shatner wrote in a post announcing his LP in February. “This project is, quite literally, a gathering of forces. Loud imagination. Honest intensity. Unapologetic exploration.”
