Billy Joel name-drops and salutes The Post in ‘New York State of Mind’ lyric change

He was in the mood for a melody.

Legendary piano man Billy Joel, 74, serenaded the crowd at Madison Square Garden for his monumental 100th concert of his residency at the famous venue — and he included a hat-tip to the correct local paper.

As he belted out, “New York State of Mind,” he changed the lyrics to include a shout-out to The Post.

The TV concert special taped in March but aired Sunday night on CBS.

During the verse where the song traditionally invokes the New York Times and the Daily News, Joel instead sang, “Out of touch with the rhythm and blues/ But now I need a little give and take / Who, oh, oh whoa, who / The New York Post / Newsday too.”

The song still mentioned the Times and Daily News in an earlier verse. Joel tweaked a later verse to give a hat tip to The Post — something he’s done in concert for years now.

Called “The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time,” it was the “We Didn’t Start The Fire” singer’s first broadcast network concert special.

It was taped March 28, during Joel’s 100th performance at the legendary venue.

In March, the “Uptown Girl” crooner told Newsday that he often ditches his helicopter and takes the Long Island Railroad to the location.

“People will sometimes look at me on the railroad and think, ‘Look at this guy, trying to look like Billy Joel. He’s not kidding anybody,’ ” he told the outlet.

During the concert, Joel also sang hits such as “Piano Man,” “Vienna” and “Only the Good Die Young.”

Joel’s record-setting run at MSG began Jan. 14 and will finish July 25 with the 150th show of his residency.

“I forgot how much work it is,” Joel told USA Today during a recent interview. “I used to do this on a regular basis: You go on the road, go back home and write, record the songs, then make the video, promote it, yadda, yadda, yadda. I hadn’t done it in so long. It’s head spinning and different from what I remember.”

Jerry Seinfeld and Sting were also onstage at the concert to celebrate.

“I wasn’t aware he was going to be there until the last minute,” Joel told the outlet.

“They said, we’ll have a banner-raising thing and Jerry is gonna do it. I said, ‘Wow, great.’ He bought my old house in the Hamptons in 2000. We made a deal, no brokers, just us. He said, ‘How much?’ and I said a number and he said, ‘OK.’ It was really serendipitous. He’s a good guy, a fellow Long Islander. But also, Sting, he bought my apartment in New York City… All of my real estate clients were at the show. It’s like Joel Realty.”

The concert special aired on CBS (and is available on Paramount+).

However, the CBS broadcast included a major blunder that made fans livid. The network’s live coverage of the Masters golf tournament pushed back the start of the concert’s airing — which resulted in his show cutting off during “Piano Man” and throwing viewers at home to local news instead.

“A total flop by CBS,” one fan angrily slammed the network on X.

“Wow. CBS cut off the Billy Joel concert special to start their affiliates’ local news broadcasts…In the middle of ‘Piano Man.’ Someone royally screwed up. That’s an embarrassment,” another viewer said.

Even the local news anchors got in on it, once they realized what happened. Rex Smith, an anchor at CBS affiliate WANE 15 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, posted, “I apologize to the people who were enjoying Billy Joel singing on TV then all of a sudden had to see my face. I’d have picked Billy Joel over me, too. I’m not even the Rex Smith who is the famous singer/actor.”

stream 'billy joel: the 100th' for free

Annoyed that “Billy Joel: The 100th Live at Madison Square Garden” got cut short during “Piano Man” last night? We get it. Luckily, the entire concert special is streaming on Paramount+.

Paramount+ offers a seven-day free trial for new users, so you’ll be able to watch “Piano Man” in full, plus the rest of the special whenever you want.

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The network reacted to the snafu Monday.

“A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song,” CBS told The Post in a statement. “Due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS on April 19 at 9 p.m.”

The Post reached out to Joel for comment.