Billy Joel on Ending N.Y.C. Concert Residency in 2024: 'I'm Amazed That We Went This Far' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Billy Joel announces the end of his residency at Madison Square Garden in 2024 during a press conference on June 1, 2023, in New York City.Photo:ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

Billy Joelis looking ahead to the end of an era.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE at theLong Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF), where an exhibit crafted in his honor will open on Friday, the musician, 74, opens up aboutending his famed monthly Madison Square Garden residencyin New York City next year.

“After 10 years, we’ve done it,” Joel says with a smile. “I mean, I didn’t realize it would last 10 years.”

“And I don’t know how many shows it is, I’m sure somebody’s keeping track of it somewhere, but I’m amazed that we went this far, and I’m honored,” he adds.

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Billy Joel performs at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20, 2023 in New York City.Myrna M. Suarez/Getty

Myrna M. Suarez/Getty

Joel’s record-breaking residency began in January 2014, and it will come to an end in 2024 after his150th lifetime showat the storied venue on July 25.

Both feats earned him banners that still hang in the Garden’s rafters, which are replaced each month with each performance.

Billy Joel attends his show preview at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame on Nov. 21, 2023.Myrna Suarez

Myrna Suarez

And while Joel’s last series of shows at MSG will be a celebration of their own, thefather of threeis currently celebrating his legacy at the LIMEHOF in Stony Brook on Long Island, New York, which is located about 30 miles from where he grew up in Hicksville as a young boy.The exhibit, officially titled “Billy Joel — My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey,” features over 50 years of Joel-related items, including rare memorabilia, behind-the-scenes video, dozens of awards, rare audio and video recordings and more.“I didn’t even remember I had stuff like this. I don’t know where they got it all from, but they did a nice job,” Joel playfully tells PEOPLE of the exhibit. “It’s very, very much an honor.“Tickets to Billy Joel — My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey can bepurchased here.

source: people.com