Lance Hoppen believes in looking forward, not looking back.

As bassist and sometimes guitarist and vocalist for the band Orleans, Hoppen has seen highs, including the enduring hit songs “Still the One,” “Dance With Me,” and “Love Takes Time,” and lows, such as nearly living on the street during one of the group’s many breakups.

As Orleans celebrates the 30th anniversary of its first album, what’s the biggest lesson that experience has taught Hoppen?

“That which you don’t appreciate disappears,” the 48-year-old said during a phone interview from his Tennessee home.

Orleans, which also features Lance’s brother, Larry Hoppen, on vocals, guitar and keyboards and John Hall on guitar and keyboards, will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday on the main stage of the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland’s Harbor Park. Special guests will be their longtime friend, Jon Poussette-Dart, and Maine favorites Devonsquare.

Other headlining performers at the Lobster Festival will be country singer Lee Ann Womack, with opening act The Don Campbell Band, at 7:30 tonight and The Neville Brothers, with special guests The Boneheads, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Other entertainment will be staged throughout the festival, as will lobster feeds, parades, demonstrations and presentations, contests and art exhibits (see schedule for more detail).

There’s a new attitude among the members of Orleans, back together since 2001. Their single “Miss Grace,” a cover of an old song by The Tymes, is on the Adult Contemporary Radio charts, which they find both amusing and encouraging. They’re touring behind their latest album, “Still the One – Live.”

“It’s all about maturity, and not much more,” Hoppen explained. “We all learned in our own time and in our own way. The frictions that existed, we’ve learned to avoid them, or get over them. At this point, it’s a team. We’re on the same wavelength 95 percent of the time. There’s a confidence on stage that you just can’t shake. We don’t have anything to prove to ourselves or to the world.”

The Orleans story goes back more than 30 years, to the Hoppen household in Long Island. Their parents were Big Band musicians, who gigged into their retirement years. Larry, three years older, left to chase his rock ‘n’ roll dream, while Lance learned to play first clarinet, then bass.

Hall, Larry Hoppen and Wells Kelly formed Orleans in early 1972, and Larry invited his little brother aboard that fall. Their self-titled first album came out in 1973, the same year as debut albums by Steely Dan and Rufus (featuring Chaka Khan).

With mega-hits “Dance With Me” and “Still the One” and constant touring, Orleans stood on the cusp of stardom. Then Hall walked away to pursue a solo career, throwing the group into disarray.

“We were on the diving board, but we didn’t take that big leap,” Hoppen said. “We didn’t understand what we had. We’ve all had successes of our own, but we’ll never know what we could have been, and can never truly capitalize upon what we had.”

Over the next 20 years, Orleans continued to be reborn and expire, recording another eight albums on various labels. The band’s members have had to overcome addictions, divorces and the 1984 death of Kelly.

Hoppen was employed at a variety of odd jobs during the group’s hiatuses: nanny, temp, carpenter, painter. He’s enjoyed the most success in direct sales. He’s now a recognized name in the area of Internet marketing.

He’s also made a reputation for himself as a producer and musician in Nashville, working with Baillie & the Boys, Suzy Bogguss, Matraca Berg and Andy Griggs.

“As a young man, then as an Orleans member, I was always Larry’s little brother,” Hoppen recalled. “It wasn’t until I came to Nashville in ’89, until I left that whole framework, that I started to find me. I struck out on a new path and created a life independent of Orleans. It’s made me much stronger, a more capable contributor to Orleans now.

“All the different experiences we’ve had enhance our skills,” he continued. “We bring that back to the center [Orleans], which becomes stronger for that.”

The three musicians don’t intend for Orleans to become a full-time occupation again. Lance Hoppen has his Internet business and occasional session work. His brother Larry has become involved with investment securities. Hall splits his time between songwriting and social activism.

“We know there’s an audience for this; it’s just a little hard to find,” Hoppen said. “We’ll keep doing this as long as it’s fun and productive and we have an agenda in common. We could do this as long as anyone wants us to.”

For more information on Orleans, access www.orleansonline.com. For information about the Maine Lobster Festival, access www.mainelobsterfestival.com. Tickets are available at 596-0376.