I have been an amateur astronomer for 40 years now and have only seen maybe 2 Perseid showers. Either the weather has been bad, the Moon too bright, or something else has come up to keep me from seeing this shower. I did get to see the big Leonid shower back in 99 and I can’t even describe that.
I would describe it as almost frightening. At times we felt like running for cover. There were occasional orange or red 'fireballs'. Green ionization trails. Shadows cast on the ground from the bright streaks. Long, lingering smoke trails that twisted in the wind. An unbelievable show.