Editing Deadhead (section)

=="The Vibe"==
Some Deadheads use the term "X Factor" to describe the intangible element that elevates mere performance into something higher.<ref>''Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip'' edited by Jake Woodward, ''et al.'' Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2003, pg. 113.</ref> Publicist and [[Jerry Garcia]] [[biographer]] Blair Jackson stated that "shows were the sacrament ... rich and full of blissful, transcendent musical moments that moved the body and enriched the soul."<ref>''Garcia: An American Life'' by Blair Jackson, Penguin Books, 1999, pg. 219.</ref> [[Phil Lesh]] himself comments on this phenomenon in his autobiography by saying, "The unique organicity of our music reflects the fact that each of us consciously personalized his playing: to fit with what others were playing and to fit with who each man was as an individual, allowing us to meld our consciousnesses together in the unity of a group mind."<ref name="lesh">''Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead'' by Phil Lesh, Little, Brown, April 2005</ref>

Jackson takes this further, citing [[drum]]mer [[Mickey Hart]] as saying, "The Grateful Dead weren't in the music business, they were in the ''transportation'' business." Jackson relates this to the Deadhead phenomenon directly by saying, "for many Deadheads, the band was a medium that facilitated experiencing other planes of consciousness and tapping into deep, spiritual wells that were usually the province of organized religion ... [they] got people high whether those people were on drugs or not."<ref>''Garcia: An American Life'' by Blair Jackson, Penguin Books, 1999, pg. 319.</ref>

Rock producer [[Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham]] summarized much of the band's effect when he created a sign for the Grateful Dead when the group played the closing of the [[Winterland Ballroom]] on December 31, 1978. The sign read:<ref name=JakeWoodward>''Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip'' edited by Jake Woodward, ''et al.'' Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2003, pg. 227.</ref>
{{Blockquote|They're not the best at what they do,

They're the only ones that do what they do. 
Cheers!|Bill & the Winterland Gang<ref name=JakeWoodward/>}}