In a detailed single pulse study of the Vela pulsar, we focus on the energy spectrum of the individual pulses. The large and comprehensive nature of the data collected, involving over 3 million individual pulses, gives the study an unprecedented degree of statistical significance. In devising new methods and metrics with which to analyse the data, we notice a pronounced high energy tail with individual events in excess of 103 Jy of peak flux (or a brightness temperature of the order 1030 K), and systematic changes in pulse morphology at different energy levels. The data also suggests possible variability in the emission statistics on timescales of days, which may imply that the pulsar magnetosphere is more dynamic than previously thought.