The band members of 3 Doors Down are bringing the rock arena concerts back to life, venue after venue, fan after fan.

In the midst of popular hip-hop products making names for themselves, this Southern rock band, which will perform with special guests Athenaeum and Shades Apart at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, at the Bumstock field at the University of Maine in Orono, is opening the hearts and minds of those who otherwise never gave good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll a chance.

Touring makes all the hard work pay off, said guitarist Chris Henderson in a recent phone interview. With the almost immediate success of their major record label debut, “The Better Life,” and their first single, “Kryptonite,” the band appears to be in a pleasant state of shock.

“We still have the same friends, same car, still love to sign autographs,” Henderson said. “We still love the fans – but now I love them for real now.”

The number of fans is increasing day by day, which can be attributed to the more than 5 million copies of their album sold and the recent win at the American Music Awards.

“Just three years ago, I was coming home from work, and I was thinking on the way home: What are the chances of us getting big?” Henderson said.

He noted the band’s start in the boonies of southern Mississippi, in the little town of Escatawpa.

“Rock ‘n’ roll bands didn’t sell out arenas, but now I see some are,” said Henderson, who has been in Maine once before – in Portland, in August 2000 – when 3 Doors Down toured with another successful arena-packing band, Creed.

The members of 3 Doors Down – bass player Robert Harrell, lead singer Bradley Arnold, guitarists Matthew Roberts and Henderson, and drummer Richard Liles – had the opportunity to work with Canadian rocker Alex Lifeson of Rush. Lifeson worked on three Be-sides: “Dangerous Game,” “Dead Love” and “Wasted Me,” two of which will be performed live at the concert in Orono, Henderson said.

Rush, along with AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Van Halen and others alike, have inspired the band immensely, Henderson said. The bridge on the song “Better Life” was inspired subconsciously by Rush when Henderson wrote it, he said.

Henderson expects the band to begin working on its next album later this year, with a probable release sometime next year.

If the response by fans is any indication, the band will be around for a while, and with good reason.

“We take it seriously,” Henderson said. “We’re there to rock their … brains out. We do it with attitude. When we do the song, we fill it with energy. Kids respond to that. They want to hear songs with meaning, songs that are down and dirty.”

Tickets are $20 for the general public and $15 for UM students. Tickets are available at Tickets.com, Strawberries, at the university’s student entertainment office, or by calling 581-1701 or 581-1738.