What Can Unite Willie Nelson and Gavin Adcock? Data Center Opposition

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Few if anything is uniting the population of the United States these days, and the same goes in country music, which is virtually split right down the middle by the culture war. But the one thing that’s uniting both sides of the political and cultural divide is opposition to AI and the data centers that are needed to feed its voracious rise. From the oldest and perhaps most famous left-wing country star of all-time, to one of the youngest pro-Trump up-and-comers, they’re coming out in full-throated opposition to data center expansion.

As much as hating on data centers and AI has become fashionable in many sectors, it’s an issue that is affecting America’s rural populations and country fans disproportionately since it’s often smaller towns and farmland where property is cheaper. This is where development plans are moving forward and disrupting local populations. One such place is Abbott, Texas, the hometown of Willie Nelson, prompting the 93-year-old who’s been advocating for farmland and farmers his entire life to issue an open letter on Tuesday (7-28).

“I grew up in Abbott, and I still have a home there with farmed land where I can still see stars at night. And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centers invading our land. The last thing we need is a loud, water thieving, light polluting, data center anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter),” Willie Nelson says.

“The strength of rural America has never come from big industrial footprints. It comes from generations of people, open spaces, local businesses, and a connection to the land. All of America deserves thoughtful stewardship that doesn’t steal farmland (where our essential shared-food is grown) and small family farmers’ livelihoods, and not data centers that only destroy the environment around them. Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses. Let’s not allow our own demise or give up control over necessary resources in the U.S. and especially in Abbott.”

It’s hard to determine where specifically in or around Abbott the proposed data center might be, since it happens to be that the Governor of Texas is named Greg Abbott, and most searches come up with the Governor’s opinions on the issue staewide. The governor has faced criticisms for being too permissive of data center construction, but has also recently come out in opposition to data center development in rural areas of the state, as well as demanding data center owners pay for their own resources.

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum from Willie Nelson in every way you can imagine, you have Gavin Adcock—the loud and obnoxious semi country star known for getting shirtless and pouring beer and whiskey all over himself during shows … not to mention starting beefs with Zach Bryan and Charley Crockett. His statement might have not been as coherent or even informed. But it might be even more important than Willie Nelson’s since it’s reaching a lot of younger people and those not normally opposed to development.

On July 23rd, Gavin Adcock took to social media to say,

“You know what’s pissing me off a bunch lately? These rich, money-grabbing assholes that wanna slap a data center straight in the country. First of all, it’s using up a bunch of fresh water. Second of all, it’s killing off animals. There’s a farmer in Texas right now that’s saying his calvs are being stillborn ever since they put a data center in. How about you CEOs and big money assholes that wanna do this shit slap it right in the middle of your big city neighborhood, and see how you and the people around it like it, because these people are getting punished for living in the country.

“People move to the country so they don’t have to be around this type of shit, and they’re getting punished because y’all want to suck ass. We hate y’all, and I speak for the people. Everybody else, I love y’all.”

Country artists who are probably not ride-or-die Gavin Adcock fans like Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours and Kaitlin Butts liked and reposted Adcock’s statement. And many other country artists are speaking out on the issue as well … if fact, too many to enumerate them all here. Tanya Tucker also recently spoke out about data center construction in Texas, saying in part,

“I want Texas to be strong and have a reliable power grid. But I’m concerned about the 765 KV of transmission lines coming through all the ranches in Texas, and destroying our property. It hurts. It’s gonna hurt our health, our wildlife, our water table, our water resources. It’s going to scar our land forever. So I’m asking you to join me in asking Governor Abbott to just pause. Just take another minute, to find out what this is really going to do to our land.”

The biggest obstacle to AI recently has not been the technology, the industry, government regulation, or lawsuits. It’s been the public. Sure, some have checked out on the AI issue, or don’t have a data center going in near them, and aren’t especially animated over the matter. But rich and poor, left and right, and even rural and urban, opposition to data centers is nearly universal, especially among the population of country fans.

Data centers are still being erected, often by circumventing public votes or notifications. But AI technology is gravely losing the PR battle, with country artists using their profiles and platforms to boost the signal of Americana’s rural population.

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