When I Was Seventeen: Rachel Carreiro

  With the impending spring concert season looming ever so closely, Coachella and Stagecoach fanatics are prepping for three weekends of music festival fun and plentiful sunburns. Although often found behind the desk in a quietly reserved library setting, LQHS librarian Rachel Carreiro had her fair share of concert experiences when she was a teenager. It was 1973, and seventeen-year-old Rachel Jaurequi was finishing her senior year at Montebello High School. Carreiro’s appreciation for rock ‘n’ roll prompted her to see many of her favorite musicians live, such as  Three Dog Night, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and The Kinks. “Every Sunday, the calendar section of the newspaper would come in the mail, and I’d be the first one to look at it to see what concerts were coming up; my parents dreaded it!” recalled Carreiro. Of her top musicians, Carreiro credits Led Zeppelin as her absolute favorite, with a 30-minute drum solo from John Bonham being one of her most memorable concert experiences. Another snapshot moment was her first concert ever at the Forum in Inglewood, California, featuring Three Dog Night. With the exception of a few Chicago concerts, Carreiro’s parents were not as interested in the concert scene as she was, but they did manage to join her on some occasions. “They were pretty cool about it; they would get their own tickets and sit somewhere, and my friends and I were able to sit in a different spot,” explained Carreiro. Rachel used to wait in line to purchase her concert tickets at Ticketron terminals—a computerized event ticketing technology found in banks and department stores. To this day, Carreiro has all of her original ticket stubs on display at her desk. As for her current concert companion, she stated, “My daughter is my best concert buddy. She and I love going to shows together. I usually have to drag my husband to concerts.” Carreiro’s taste in music has evolved over the years and has spanned more genres than only rock ‘n’ roll. She also enjoys country, folk, and likes a few pop icons of today. “I just discovered Bruno Mars and The Lumineers. I really like those guys,” shared Carreiro. She also plans on attending this year’s Stagecoach and seeing Lady Antebellum perform.  “I just love going out and listening to different types of music; it keeps me young!” joked Carreiro.