Be sure not to annoy the sound guy folks, as these posters will tell you, even if he barely knows what he's doing, if you hack him off, he will probably pull you out of the mix.
At least that's how it goes here
As for live mics, it's always a good idea to bring an SM57 to every gig in your guitar case as a backup. Beer on the mic can happen right before you go on stage. Sometimes, sound guys don't have backup mics!! So having a SM57 handy is a good idea
Bringing your own preamp for the mic sounds like a bit much to be honest. But hey, whatever works!!
Very interesting Darius. I'm planning to start taking my own mic too, for the gigs, because sometimes I find really bad mics. I didn't thought about the pre amp but it's not a bad idea. What are you planning to use?