Blue eyes are cryin’ in the rain over the Texas data center influx.
In a Tuesday Instagram post, Lone Star State musical icon Willie Nelson lamented that one of the massive computing complexes may soon be located in his hometown of Abbott.
“I grew up in Abbott, and I still have a home there with farmed land where I can still see stars at night,” Nelson said in an impassioned plea to slow the spread of data centers. “And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centers invading our land.”
Abbott is located 24 miles north of Waco along Interstate 35. Its population is fewer than 400.
“The last thing we need is a loud, water thieving, light polluting data center anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter),” Nelson continued. “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.”
In March, Nelson faced criticism for using a generative AI poster for his Fourth of July Picnic — a move that left some fans feeling betrayed by an artist admired for his authenticity.
However, Nelson’s involvement in the decision to use AI for the show — a collaboration between Live Nation and Blackbird Presents — remains unclear. Even if the singer-songwriter was involved, he would hardly be the only American to use AI while simultaneously not approving of having a data center in their own backyard.
Indeed, more than 70% of Americans said they would not want an AI data center in their neighborhood, according to a recent Gallup poll.
“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,” Nelson added in his post. “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.”
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