David O'Mahony: Hopefully my Father's Day trip to Metallica will be the first of many gigs with my kids

This weekend is my chance to rack up some unforgettable moments for them, like my dad did for me

The first time I saw Metallica was July 1999 in what was still the Point Depot. File photo: Yui Mok/PA

By the time you read this, I should have survived the first instalment of taking my life into my own hands for the weekend.

“Should” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. And well it, um, should. For, you see, in what's unexpectedly become a sort of Father's Day long weekend, I am taking two of my children to different Metallica concerts in Dublin along with my nephew, and the first of those was last night.

Ear defenders have been retrieved from wherever they were hiding, and my Loop earplugs were along for the ride, provided I remembered to bring them and didn’t have to buy cheap airport replacements like I had to after arriving in London for a concert in March.

Indeed, we should have been pulling into the driveway at home around the same time copies of the Irish Examiner were being delivered across Cork and beyond, either to shops or as part of our home delivery subscriptions (nothing can beat the speed of the epaper, mind).

Provided we got back to the car more or less on time. And, just as importantly, provided I didn’t lose my son or my nephew somewhere along the way, as while he’s not sitting with us — take a 12-year-old or a seven-year-old into the standing pit, are you mad? — he’ll be travelling with us for both shows.

Now, he’s in his early 20s, and since going with me to the Download juggernaut last year, and subsequently Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert in Birmingham, he’s been abroad for gigs himself. 

He’s perfectly capable, but I take uncle responsibilities seriously, and recall how he and his friend, heading off to find the Black Sabbath bridge in Birmingham, went precisely in the complete opposite direction and yours truly ended up navigator for the rest of the trip. Google Maps, don’t fail me now.

It’s only fair, really, given that my own father (hello Dad) was the driver and navigator combined the first time I saw Metallica, which was July 1999 in what was still the Point Depot.

Ah, 1999. What the Matrix claimed was the high point of human civilisation. We all laughed, but given everything happening around us we’re not laughing now, are we?

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But I digress.

I’m pretty sure dad’s breastbone is still ringing from the power of the band’s bassline. One can only hope that my 12-year-old son doesn’t find it too jarring. As it is, he and sister have relatively little experience of live concerts, such as the Rock Orchestra, which admittedly is great fun.

In fairness, most of my early Dublin concerts only happened because dad drove, which is how he’s managed to rack up seeing not only Metallica but Green Day and Pearl Jam. An unexpected highlight at that 1999 show was Eric Bell of Thin Lizzy joining Metallica for Whiskey In the Jar, even if Bell would later say he didn’t enjoy the experience, partially because of guitar tuning and partially because he hadn’t heard of Metallica prior to being approached to play.

Last night’s concert would be my fifth time seeing them live, including their shortened set at the Ozzy Osbourne show. In 2003, when they played the RDS, they forgot to play Whiskey and ended up being booed by the crowd — it didn’t help that that concert was on Phil Lynott’s birthday. Even top tier stars make the odd faux pas.

Prior to Birmingham, I hadn’t seen them in more than 20 years (Cthulhu help me, was it really that long?), again at the RDS. This was when Beloved Wife was New Girlfriend, and unbeknownst to her, seeing Metallica supported by Slipknot would go on to give her bragging rights over my nephew for some years (he’s playing catch up).

As, unfortunately, is the case with all things, the band are getting on in years — this is their first show in Dublin since 2009, according to their own website, and they’re not the creative force they were in the 1980s and 1990s (but who among us is?). I’m not convinced they’ll be back. 

And it was Beloved Wife who gave my nephew a gentle nudge to take advantage of these tours while he could, noting that these bands aren’t going to be around forever. A huge Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne fan, he saw his hero on stage precisely once, and the man died less than three weeks later.

Tempus fugit, and experiences can last a lifetime. Wasn’t it my own wife who also gave me a gentle nudge about live music when I had barely been to a concert in years? I wouldn’t have thought of going to Download, which itself is three days long, otherwise, nor would I have tacked on a Nine Inch Nails show in another part of England entirely.

And if I can not just pass the torch to the next generation, but also help ensure they get to rack up some unforgettable moments, then I think I’ll have done my job.

I’m seeing them again tomorrow night, with Daughter, seven. Will she be impressed? Will she fall asleep in the middle of it? Will she fix them with the Gen Z death stare for being too loud? She doesn’t take nonsense lightly.

But more importantly, will it be the first of many shows for both her and her brother? We can but hope. Dad’s taxi is charged up and ready to roll.

• David O'Mahony is Irish Examiner assistant editor, historian, and a short story writer