Page 49 - JanFeb 2024 ION Indie Magazine

Cold’s “The Year of the Spider” 20th
Anniversary Fall Tour was a major
success; however, this article isn’t
about the Nu-Metal rockers. It's about
their direct support, State of Illusion.

The Greenville, South Carolina-based
alternative metal powerhouse isn’t new
to the scene, but this lineup of the band
is. Jacob Porter (lead vocals, rhythm
guitar) formed the band in the mid-
2000s, going through many variations
since then. The current lineup consists
of Porter, Shandon Fair (lead guitar),
Gunnar VanWingerden (bass), Bryce
Chism (drums), and Cody Dabbs
(guitar, guitar tech). State of Illusion has
opened for and supported many big
names in the industry such as Chevelle,
Staind, Breaking Benjamin, Seether,
Spiritbox, Shinedown, Bush, Lamb of
God…and the list goes on and on.

The group set out on a two-week fall
tour, hitting ten cities in fourteen days.
Supporting Cold has been a lifelong
dream for Porter. When the opportunity
arose, he immediately accepted as
Cold is Porter’s favorite band. However,
the band decided to head to Florida
several days early and play some local
venues before officially starting the tour.
Starting out with Jacksonville, they
opened for punk rock group Morning in
May. After Jacksonville was Tampa,
which was a home show for bassist
Gunnar VanWingerdan. Gainesville
was up next, which officially kicked off
the Cold tour. Since State of Illusion
was direct support, it meant they had a
30-minute set time and the job of
preparing the crowd for Cold.