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

During a time when a lot of people didn't know when their next paycheck was coming, Billy Joel made sure his band did.

During a recent interview with Howard Stern, the 'Uptown Girl' hitmaker revealed he made sure the money kept flowing for his band members during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though musicians were left unable to work.

"I did pay them full salary for a year," Joel said on Stern's radio show. "I have a great band, I’m so happy to have them on stage."

The Piano Man went on to explain that he wanted to express his appreciation for the team that stuck by him through all these years.

READ MORE:
• Watch Billy Joel bring Bruce Springsteen out at his concert
• Billy Joel performs rock rendition of 'White Christmas' with his daughter

"I don't do as many gigs as I used to do … 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," he said.

Joel's concerts at various stadiums around the country as well as his Madison Square Garden residency shows were all postponed during the pandemic.

He is set to kick off an 11-stop tour on November 5, starting in New York City.