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The way his show had progressed to that point, you'd have thought he'd go looking for an oxygen tank instead.
Striding to the stage promptly at 9 p.m., Costello and his three-piece band, the Imposters, tore through their first seven numbers without pausing even for a single second.
The onslaught included such early Costello classics as "Everyday I Write the Book" and "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," signaling that this would not be a concert dominated by new material.
The singer/guitarist would go on to play just one song from last year's When I Was Cruel, and debuted nothing from his upcoming September release, North.
Instead, the 47-year-old scoured his vast songbook like an excited college DJ, plucking gems from nearly every album in his catalog.
The crowd of 1,260, much of it middle-aged, couldn't keep pace with the unflagging Costello. Until three marathon encore sessions, fans sat for most of the night, rising to applaud enthusiastically between songs before returning to their seats.
Costello didn't seem to mind, though he coaxed his audience to its feet once before ending the initial hits blitz.
While keyboardist Steve Nieve, drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher kept the beat going between songs, Costello stood three feet behind his microphone and simply waited for the crowd to rise before coming forward to sing "Radio, Radio."
Apparently, recently inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famers don't have to say "jump" to get fans to do it.
Costello looked every bit the part of rock royalty, clothed in a black suit and black shirt and sporting his trademark black-rimmed eyeglasses.
His voice sounded crisp and biting as ever and his guitar sang, though he left much of the soloing to longtime collaborator Nieve.
Eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, the bearded keyboardist spiced up the quartet's rhythms all night. One minute Nieve was giving New Wave classic "Pump It Up" its roller-rink flair, the next he was transforming "Clubland" into something akin to Flamenco.
Faragher, a recent newcomer to the lineup, had no trouble keeping up with the far-ranging setlist. Thomas, one of Costello's original Attractions, looked simply delirious, banging away and singing the lyrics to every song even though there was no microphone nearby.
During the two-hour, 15-minute performance, Costello paid special attention to his overlooked mid-1990s period, presenting "Clown Strike" and "Just About Glad" from 1994's Brutal Youth and two cuts from his 1995 covers project, Kojak Variety.
The band's anguished rendition of James Carr's "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man" and a revved-up run through "Uncomplicated" provided a strong finish to the main set, with an hour's worth of music still to come.
The trio of encores featured more of Costello's best-known material, including "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," "Less Than Zero" and a swinging "Watching the Detectives" with improvised lyrics tacked onto the end.
Costello also had some fun with his finale, adding one version of The Who's "The Kids Are Alright" into Nick Lowe's classic, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," before finally calling it quits.
Former Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson entertained early arrivers with an excellent opening set of countrified, mainly acoustic roots rock.
The shaggy singer's gravelly voice sounded even grittier than usual, and his cohort, British guitarist Paul Stacey, made instant fans of those paying attention to his dynamic yet understated solos.
The duo also got a surprise boost from special guest Warren Haynes. The guitarist for the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule sat in on two songs, including traditional number "I Know Your Rider," made popular by the Grateful Dead.
"When you can get Warren Haynes on a Friday night when there's no Allmans or Gov't Mule, it's a lucky Friday," Robinson announced.
Actually, just the start of a very lucky Friday night.
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