William Shatner Brings Heavy Metal To Riot Fest 2026

Captain Kirk on the metal stage: William Shatner will bring his rock vision to Riot Fest 2026 with an all-star band for the first time. The festival takes place from 18 to 20 September at Douglass Park in Chicago.

Shatner joins an illustrious line-up — featuring Iggy Pop, Public Image Ltd., Morrissey, Blink-182, Weezer and the Sex Pistols with Frank Carter, among others. For the actor, born in 1931, it is a new chapter in an unusual music career.

Moving between spoken word and rock, Shatner has released albums for decades, collaborating with numerous rock and metal musicians. At Riot Fest, those songs are set to be performed with a full band.

Exactly how his „heavy metal vision" will look on stage is something Shatner plans to show in Chicago.

Sources: Blabbermouth, BraveWords, The PRP.