Moshé Davenport has worn many different hats for some of the biggest artists. He’s been a tour manager and front-of-house engineer for Tink, a production manager and monitor engineer for Coco Jones, and worked on live shows from Dru Hill, Larry June, and Kehlani. With Tink, he’s seen firsthand how nothing on the singer’s schedule will stop her from making sure she’s ready to give her fans the best show.
“We were rehearsing in Europe because she had fashion stuff going on. She would leave an eight-hour photo shoot and still come to rehearsal. She wanted to make sure the fans got what they deserved,” Davenport told REVOLT.
In this installment of “Tour Tales,” the accomplished multihyphenate discussed how Tee Grizzley’s gaming career reflected in his live show audiences, Kehlani and Tink’s emotional moments on stage, and what fans can expect from Coco Jones’ “What I Didn’t Tell You Tour.” Read the exclusive chat below.
Over the last 2 ½ years, what has been the most worthwhile tour you’ve been on?
The most worthwhile tour was Kehlani’s “Blue Water Road Tour.” It was my first-ever world tour. We did the U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Earlier in the year, we had done Lollapalooza. So we did South America, and we went to Africa.
Which crowd overseas surprised you with how much they loved Kehlani?
I would say Asia, honestly. We did Indonesia, and she was selling out over there. It was crazy because I’d never been there to see the effects of what our music does in another country. They knew all the words to her songs.
During her Atlanta show, Kehlani stopped the set because a fan had fallen or something of that nature. What’s the response when those moments happen?
She cares about her fans. She will stop the show until they’re taken care of, and she created a way for her fans to let her know if something was happening. She’d have everybody around the person put their phone lights on until somebody got to them.
After Kehlani, how did you connect with Tink?
Once I finished with Kehlani, I was at Rolling Loud and ran into my good friend Dre Davis. He told me he had an artist for me named Tink and wanted me to come on as the tour manager for this run she had. I got on the phone with her and her manager. They told me what they wanted to do and that the tour started in three weeks (laughs). I helped put her vision together with her creative director, Kiira Harper, who had a vision of how she wanted the stage set up. She asked me, “Can we do it?” I told her, “Of course you can. Let’s figure it out.” We got it done, did the whole month of April, and sold out every show.
What’s Tink’s off-stage personality like?
She is like my little sister. She is the sweetest person ever. She’s super grateful. It’s a privilege that I get a chance to work with her. I’m excited to see where she goes because I know she will go further than where she is right now.
What’s her preparation like for live shows?
She’s one of the hardest-working people. She definitely goes all in. She’s in there. We were rehearsing in Europe because she had fashion stuff going on. She would leave an eight-hour photo shoot and still come to rehearsal. She wanted to make sure the fans got what they deserved.
How dedicated are Tink’s fans?
It’s always funny to me when I escort her out to do a meet-and-greet, and people are calling her Trinity. It makes me laugh because these people follow these artists enough to call them by their first names.
Which of her shows did LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson attend?
That was in Louisiana. Almost half of the team came to the show. It was about six or seven of them there. It was super crazy. On the first run we did with Tink, Jeremih also came out in Chicago, her hometown. Tee Grizzley came out to one of her shows because they were doing the shows down the street from each other.
You also did Tee Grizzley’s first performance after the pandemic started. What surprised you about it?
The funny thing [that] I didn’t realize about Tee Grizzley was how much he had the college white kid crowd. But I didn’t know he was a gamer. That’s when it made sense. He still does these white colleges. He performed at a frat house, bro (laughs).
Of all the shows you’ve done, which ones had the most emotional moments on stage?
Tink got pretty emotional at her Chicago show because it was her hometown and sold out. She probably could’ve done a second show. Overseas, Kehlani had to take a step back and say, “Wow, y’all going to make me cry.” When you’re in another country, and the people are yelling and screaming for you, it takes you to a different place.
You’re now the production manager for Coco Jones’ “What I Didn’t Tell You Tour.” What can fans expect?
You’re going to get real singing. You’re going to get real R&B, and you’re going to get high energy. She’s dancing, she’s singing. It’s a great tour.
What do you have coming for the rest of 2023?
I’m doing this tour with Coco. Then, Tink got some one-off shows. Coco’s got some one-offs. Then, that’s about it. I actually have a show that has both Coco and Tink on it with Jhené Aiko. That’s going to be a crazy show. That’s going to be on Dec. 2 at the Oakland Arena.