Billy Joel reveals he paid band members their full salary during the pandemic

When a lot of people didn't know where their next paycheck was coming from during the COVID-19 pandemic, Billy Joel made sure his band did.

During a recent interview, the "New York State of Mind" singer, 72, revealed that he made sure his band was taken care of, even though live shows were canceled.

"I did pay them full salary for a year," Joel told Howard Stern on SiriusXM’s "The Howard Stern Show." "I have a great band; I’m so happy to have them on stage."

The "Piano Man" singer went on to explain that he wanted to express his appreciation for the team that stuck by him through all these years, even when he had some financial issues of his own.

"I don’t do as many gigs as I used to do," Joel continued. "Back in the day when I had some money issues, I wasn’t able to take care of the band the same way I am now. I wasn’t able to compensate them, and I wanted to take care of the band."

Joel is set to kick off an 11-stop tour on Nov. 5, starting in New York City's Madison Square Garden.