Key West has produced perhaps more than its fair share of great baseball players. The island also has spawned plenty of exceptional storytellers who use words and/or music to transport an audience.
Bronson Arroyo is both. And he’ll return to his hometown to perform a fundraising concert Saturday, Jan. 31 in the backyard gardens of the Oldest House Museum, 322 Duval St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with general admission and VIP tickets available for $50 and $250, respectively.
Arroyo was a Conch baseball superstar in high school and then played in the major leagues from 2000 to 2017. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002, the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005, the Cincinnati Reds from 2006 to 2013, the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014 and the Reds again in 2017.
But full stadiums weren’t the only audiences that wanted to see him perform. In 2005, Arroyo’s burgeoning music career overlapped with baseball when he released his first album, “Covering the Bases,” which included covers from bands such as Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and Foo Fighters. The album also includes the Red Sox victory song, “Dirty Water” by the Standells, in which Arroyo is accompanied by fellow players Johnny Damon, Lenny DiNardo and Kevin Youkilis.
In the offseason, Arroyo started writing his own songs while still covering his favorite bands and touring the country with his eponymous band. Music clearly ran in the family. For 53 years, Arroyo’s grandmother, Norma Dopp, gave music lessons to generations of Key West kids.
Though his father and sister both played instruments, Arroyo didn’t touch a guitar until adulthood. But he made up for lost time, fronting a band that pays tribute to Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, the Lumineers and many more artists. He counts jamming with Eddie Vedder at Fenway Park among his favorite musical performances.
Arroyo will share these stories and others during his Jan. 31 performance at the Oldest House Museum. He’ll perform an acoustic concert peppered with stories, laughs and memories.
Arroyo is donating all proceeds from the concert to the Old Island Restoration Foundation, which runs the Oldest House Museum, and to Key West’s baseball organizations.
“Every ticket supports the preservation of Key West’s architecture, culture and intangible heritage, while also helping to enrich our Conch baseball team that represents the Key West community on and off the field throughout the state of Florida,” said the team at the Oldest House Museum.
VIP tickets include access to a pre-show sound check, a Q&A with Arroyo, a signed baseball, swag bags, premier seating and two drinks. Each VIP ticket also funds a general admission ticket for a Key West High School student interested in the arts and/or music.
