From tequila cocktails to themed pop-ups, Taylor Swift fans celebrate 'The Life of a Showgirl'

From Mexico City to Manila, the United Kingdom to the United States, Taylor Swift fans hooted, sobbed happy tears and danced their way through the pop star's latest album release, “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Swift's 12th studio offering dropped Friday, and her Swifties were more than ready for it. Many were dripping in the color orange to usher in her latest era at gatherings around the world. Some closed their eyes to take in the fresh dozen tracks amid the chaotic crowds around them.

José María Bastida, a writer, rocked an orange sequin tuxedo jacket at a watch party in a Mexico City restaurant serving Swift-themed cocktails, including a tequila heavy “Ophelia's Juice” and a liquored up “Showgirl Slushy.”

“I feel like it's super experimental,” he said of the album, “because it's supposed to bring a lot of new stuff and we haven't seen that more sexy side of Taylor Swift.”

In Los Angeles, the fervent lined up at midnight at a Target to snap up the new music on vinyl and CD. Maria-Elena Garcia rented a hotel room and drove in from Santa Barbara. “I like a lot of her values and like we have a lot similar values. For example, cats,” she said.

In theaters, Swift is schooling AMC on how to treat her fans. The theater chain has granted special permission for moviegoers to sing and dance their way through screenings of “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” in select theaters for the weekend only. The film is screening around the world. Added bonus: No trailers beforehand.

Fiona Cela, 11, in London woke up at 4:30 a.m. to listen to the album. She then headed out with her mother to the studios of Global's Capital radio, hoping for a glimpse of Swift as she gave an interview there. On her agenda after that: school.

“Taylor as a person is just super kind and loving,” she said, her wrists stacked with Swift-themed friendship bracelets. “Her music is so inspiring.”

At the Black Dog pub in London, thought to be the location for Swift's song “Black Dog” from her last album, vacationing American Natalie Richmond, 43, showed up to mark the occasion. Her two Swiftie daughters woke her up extra early to listen to the album.

“We actually lived in Nashville early on so we’ve been following her ever since she began,” Richmond said. “She’s relatable. She’s the person that everybody wants to be friends with. We all listen to her music and think I’d love to go out and hang out with her.”

Longtime Swiftie Helen Brabant-Bleakley showed up at the Black Dog to mark her 30th birthday, wearing a teal sash with gold lettering that read: “The Life of a Birthday Girl.”

“My good friend Taylor Swift gave me the best present ever by dropping a new album,” she said, noting she's already picked a couple of favorite cuts from the album: “Father Figure” and “Elizabeth Taylor.”

A Manila mall went full Swift with a drag show, games, raffles and performers. Hundreds of screaming fans dressed in showgirl gear braved rain to celebrate at an outdoor amphitheater.

Among them was Cyril Aviguetero, 18. With a red showgirl head piece complementing his outfit, he was most excited about Track 7, “Actually Romantic.” Asked why, he mused: “I’m not sure, but I’m also trying to find what’s actually romantic in my life,” he said.

Other Swift events were held around the Philippines.

Kansas City's Union Station was lit up in orange and teal in celebration. Musician Chloe Rose entertained Swift fans with four hours of covers at a spot there ahead of the release as the crowd made friendship bracelets and sipped on themed cocktails.

Number balloons for “12” floated around as Rose sang and played guitar and keyboards. Fan Tara Pickarell showed up but chose solitude to later take in the new work. “I have to be in my own space to listen to it. I need my own little bubble.”

Pickarell is happy the album is pop heavy.

“I do like her slower songs, but I’m excited to get back to like 1989 ‘Reputation’ vibes,” she said.

In New York, hundreds of fans lined up to walk through a three-day Spotify pop-up offering five showgirl-themed rooms. They took photos with feathery boas and other props.

“I feel like there's so few moments like this where you actually get to connect with other fans,” said Ali Meehan. “Like we all kind of listen in our rooms, alone in our houses.”

This time around, Swift includes abundant nods to fiancé Travis Kelce amid the glitz, glamour and Las Vegas lechery of it all. This Swift isn't waiting in the wings, and she's definitely not holed up alone.

“This is so different from the last album, but in a really good way,” said Hannah Zuckerbraun, a fan in a Swift T-shirt among Target-goers in Los Angeles. “Like, it's a lot happier sounding. I feel like it's perfect and upbeat.”

Hazel Gilbert, 10, builds a friendship bracelet during a release party for Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," at a movie theater Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Aimee Jay gestures walks towards her daughters before the official release of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," at the AMC Metreon in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Roel Calderon, left, and Ashley Miramontes try on fashions inspired by Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," at a TikTok/Taylor Swift fan activation pop-up event to celebrate the release of the album on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

FILE - Taylor Swift performs at the Paris Le Defense Arena during her Eras Tour concert in Paris, on May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)

Fans gather to celebrate the release of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl" in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)

Fans gather to celebrate the release of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl" in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)

Fans gather to celebrate the release of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl" in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)

Fans gather to celebrate the release of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl" in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Claudia Rosel)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland's celebrated former football coach John Beam, who was featured in the Netflix series “Last Chance U” that showcased his success with players others wouldn’t gamble on, died Friday, a day after being shot on the college campus where he worked.

Police arrested the 27-year-old suspect Friday. Authorities said he knew the 66-year-old coach, and it was a targeted attack.

The shooting at Laney College rattled Oakland, with scores holding a vigil outside the hospital before he died. He was remembered as someone who would help anyone.

Mayor Barbara Lee described Beam as a “giant” in the city who mentored thousands of young people, including her own nephew, and “gave Oakland’s youth their best chance” at success.

“For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family,” Lee said.

Authorities credited technology, specifically cameras at the college campus, private residences and on public transit, in tracking the suspect identified as Cedric Irving Jr.

Irving was arrested without incident at a commuter rail station in Oakland just after 3 a.m. on Friday and police recovered the gun. He was being held at a local jail on charges of murder and carrying a concealed weapon, according to Alameda County’s inmate locator. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday morning. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Irving’s brother, Samuael Irving, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he was stunned to learn of the arrest and that his brother excelled academically and athletically in high school, where he ran track and played football. The brother said Cedric grew distant from the family in recent years after an argument with their father. Irving recently lost his job as a security guard after an altercation, his brother said, and then was evicted from his apartment.

“I hope it isn’t him,” Samuael Irving said quietly. “The Cedric I knew wasn’t capable of murder — but the way things had been going, I honestly don’t know.”

Police said the shooting happened Thursday before noon, and officers arrived to find Beam shot.

Oakland Assistant Chief James Beere said the suspect went on campus for a “specific reason” but did not elaborate on what that was. “This was a very targeted incident,” he said.

Beere did not say how Beam and the suspect knew each other but said the suspect was known to loiter around the Laney campus. The suspect had played football at a high school where Beam had worked but not at the time the coach was employed there.

Few other details were available. It was the second shooting in two days at a school in Oakland.

The Netflix docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges striving to turn their lives around, and Beam’s Laney College Eagles starred in the 2020 season. Beam developed deep relationships with his players while fielding a team that regularly competed for championships.

Two of Beam’s former players — brothers Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, now in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints — posted on social media after the shooting.

“You mean the world to me,” Rejzohn Wright said in a post with a photo of Beam.

His brother shared a photo of the coach alongside a broken heart emoji.

Piedmont Police Chief Fred Shavies, who previously served as a deputy chief in the Oakland Police Department said he was a friend, mentee and long time admirer of Beam.

“John was so much more than a coach,” he said. “He was a father figure to thousands of not only men but young women in our community.”

Shavies said he met Beam when he was in the eighth grade, and he supported him after Shavies lost his father in high school, calling him “an absolutely incredible human being.” He asked how did Beam leave his mark on so many people “with just 24 hours in a day, right?”

Beam’s family said in a statement that he was a “loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, mentor and friend.”

“Our hearts are full from the outpouring of love,” the family said, requesting privacy.

Beam, who was serving as athletic director, joined Laney College in 2004 as a running backs coach and became head coach in 2012, winning two league titles. He retired from coaching in 2024 but stayed on at the school to shape its athletic programs. According to his biography on the college’s website, at least 20 of his players went on to the NFL.

Beam’s shooting came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student is in stable condition. Beam had previously worked at Skyline High School, and the suspect had played football there after Beam had already left for another job.

The mayor said the back-to-back shootings on Oakland campuses demonstrate “the gun violence crisis playing out in real time." She gave no indication that they were connected.

Catalini reported from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Associated Press reporters Julie Watson in San Diego and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, center, speaks during a press conference about public safety, a day after football coach John Beam was shot at Laney College, on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Laure Andrillon)

Crime scene tapes ropes off an area one day after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 14 2025. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

The Laney Athletics building is seen one day after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 14 2025. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

Flowers are seen on campus one day after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Nov. 14 2025. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

Crime scene tapes ropes off an area after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

James Beere, assistant chief of police of the Oakland Police Department, speaks during a news conference after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Law enforcement work the scene after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Police work the scene after a shooting at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)