Orleans fans have just eight more months to dance with the long-lived band.

The group — best known for its hits “Dance With Me,” “Love Takes Time” and the ebullient “Still the One” — is in the midst of its final year of touring, with a planned end on the Rock ‘n’ Romance Cruise in March. “It comes down to age and travel,” explains bassist Lance Hoppen, 72, the current lineup’s sole founding member. “The shows are great, but these days it’s increasingly difficult to get anywhere.

“Some people go on forever — the (Rolling) Stones, Willie Nelson. But I’m not that. I just think it’s smart to go out on a high note and not be the guy who stays in the ring too long. I have mixed emotions about it, but there are more challenges than maybe meet the eye.”

Orleans — which also included Hoppen’s late brother, Larry; John Hall; and all-star drummer Jerry Marotta — formed in 1972 in Woodstock, New York, and released its debut album a year later. The group has released 13 long-players over the years, while “Still the One” — written by Hall and his wife, Johanna — became particularly ingrained thanks to ABC’s use of the song to promote a couple of its television seasons.

“If people know the band, they know that song. It’s served us well,” Hoppen says. “The fact that we had those hits back then has let us keep doing it. … Regardless of roster changes, the marketplace for us has become better and better.

“The boomers come because it’s their soundtrack and nostalgia. And their kids and their kids come because they hear their parents play the music. There’s a legacy to it that’s been lasting. We’ve left our mark.”

Hoppen says Orleans has been “savoring” its final shows, but won’t be leaving fans empty-handed. The group has revived and finished a scrapped 50th-anniversary album that it hopes to release in the near future, and it’s also recording an acoustic show in November that will be released, as well.

Orleans performs with Jefferson Starship, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Firefall at 7 p.m. Friday, July 31, at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 Atwater St. at Chene, Detroit. 313-393-7128 or TheAretha.com.