William Shatner and The *uckers cover Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Motörhead during first gig

William Shatner, best known for playing Captain Kirk on Star Trek, played his first gigs with his band The *uckers this weekend at Riot Fest Chicago. Their debut album, What the F Is Heavy Metal?, is coming out this winter.

The 95-year-old covered 'Crazy Train' (Ozzy Osbourne), 'Ace of Spades' (Motörhead), and 'Enter Sandman' (Metallica). The band, which includes Ozzy's bassist Phil Soussan, also played three of their original songs.

Many in the crowd raised their hands in vulcan salutes, a reference to Shatner's iconic role. Though not always on beat, Shatner's performance was enthusiastically received, having lured more than one Star Trek fan to travel to Riot Fest solely to see Captain Kirk in person.

Shatner has previously released music in various genres, including spoken word, blues, and children's music. His first recordings were readings of plays and pop song lyrics in 1968.

His 2011 album Seeking Major Tom included collaborations with Zakk Wylde, Brian May of Queen, and Steve Howe of Yes. The space-themed album has been described as having a general flavour of heavy metal, with covers of Bowie's 'Space Oddity', Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and Pink Floyd's 'Learning to Fly'.

According to Shatner, his label suggested the genre for the *uckers' new album.

"And I said, 'What the fuck is heavy metal?'", Shatner recalled as he told the story onstage Sunday.

See the *uckers' performance of 'Enter Sandman' below.