As always, Key West stepped up — and threw down — to honor the short life and lasting memory of one its own.
The Garrett Hughes Benefit Concert on April 8 at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater raised more than $50,000 for a scholarship fund created in honor of the 21-year-old Key Wester struck down by gun violence on Feb. 13 outside of a Key West bar.
More than 2,000 people packed the amphitheater for the concert organized by local rapper Mike Stack, whose song, “I’m From Key West,” has become an island anthem.
It was also the grand finale for the April 8 concert, where thousands of people joined Stack and collaborator D-Lew as they sang, “Livin’ where the sunshine stays / Southernmost City in the USA / I’m from Key West….”
The lineup also included DJ Sanaris, the pint-sized Lil Caleb, LuffKid, The Home Grown Band, Elle Haley and others.
“The artists all said yes before I could even finish asking the question,” said Stack, who was a close friend of Hughes. “Garrett believed in Mike Stack before I believed in myself.”
But Stack is quick to insist he never could have put together the musical event without the help of the entire Florida Keys community.
“I wanted to use my platform to make sure his name stays alive, but I couldn’t do this by myself,” Stack told coach Sean McDonald on the April 7 episode of the Keys Weekly Sports Wrap Podcast. “I contacted the amphitheater as soon as the family said they were on board with me putting together a benefit concert. I just asked one question — how can we make this happen? — and everyone pulled together to do it. Kelly Norman from Rams Head and the amphitheater, the police, fire department, EMTs, food companies, local businesses, corporate sponsors, coach Ralph Henriquez and Kilwins.
“The whole city, the whole community, from Key West to Key Largo, came out, wrapped its arms around this and made it happen,” Stack said.
McDonald agreed.
“The reason we’re having this event is absolutely tragic, but the way this community rallied really made me proud to live here,” he said during the podcast interview.
